Consul General Feng Shan Ho

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Excerpt from Dr. Feng Shan Ho’s Memoir

My 40 Years as a Diplomat.

By Feng Shan Ho

Translated and edited by Dr. Monto Ho.

Establishment of the Consulate General

Change to the Consul General

“The big change in the diplomatic world after Germany annexed Austria was that all the legations in Vienna were abolished.  Most of them were changed into consulates General.  Ours was no exception.  Chargé d’affaires Tong quickly transferred the affairs of the legation to my charge, and he left Vienna for his new assignment in Turkey.  This arrangement actually had been prearranged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  When I came from Turkey, our positions in Turkey, and Austria were to be exchanged.  But the prospect of going to Turkey was not attractive to Tong, as life was uncomfortable there.  Tong procrastinated.  He was hoping that a miracle would change his fate.  He used the excuse that the director of the Executive Yuan, Finance Minister Kong Xiang-xi, was having currency printed in Austria, and he needed someone to supervise the work.  This was giving the ministry pressure from above, so they had to yield.  When Austria was no more, the delay was no longer excusable.  So the ministry telegrammed to him urgently to take his new assignment in Turkey; otherwise the assignment ‘might be given to someone else.’

I was not long in charge when I receive the order to eliminate the litigation, and to establish the Consulate General.  I was appointed the Consulate General.  This was in May 1938.  The Consulate was located in the same place as the legation.  Tong Kuang-jun was transferred to Czechoslovakia.  Zhou was appointed vice consul.  His duties remained as before; he was in charge of work with visas

Trouble with visas and passports.

Zhou been a Kuomintang party worker.  After he joined the diplomatic service, he was most noted for his laziness and arrogance.  His continence was one of frosty coldness.  He was pale and bloodless, like that of an opium smoker.  He would arrive from bed to the office around 11 o’clock and yell for the servant to this or that chore.  The work with the visas was protracted and delayed.  I could not reform him, despite repeated admonitions.  His clientele were overseas Chinese from Chientien, a County in southwestern Zhejiang province.  These people were mostly peddlers, who hawked wares that they kept in suitcases, while walking from door to door.  There were a few who owned restaurants. In order to peddle like that in Vienna, one had to have a license.  Otherwise, it was unlawful.  According to government regulations, only disabled veterans or only those devoid of all means were eligible.  So that when Chintien peddlers went door-to-door, they were often caught by the police.  Their wares were confiscated, and they might be imprisoned for a while.  Because of our frequent contacts, the responsible policeman were well known to us.  They would refer the cases of violators to the Consulate.  Often our secretary, Frau Maxa, would try to dismiss the matter the place would often ‘open one eye and close the other’ and let the matter slide.

But when the number of cases piled up, or when a violator was repeatedly caught, the matter could no longer be ignored.  They would confiscate the violators passport and deport them from the country.  Deportation did not mean they were expelled to return to China; they were simply taken to the Austrian Hungarian border and made to leave Austria.  After the police had left, these Chintien peddlers took a roundabout way and came right back to Vienna.  Their problem then was that they no longer had passports, and they had to come to the Consulate to apply for replacement.  This is when they had to appeal to vice consul Xiao.  His intimidating arrogance made them shiver in fury.

The attitude of this vice consul was not limited to the peddlers, but extended to return students.  Many of the students had powerful sponsors at home.  They could go back to assume important jobs after being “gold plated” abroad.  One time, Zhou and Liu  Pan, a return student, where sharing a meal.  For one reason or another they start arguing it almost came to blows.  Fortunately, I was around to stop them.  Another student Yu Shun-Ping also had trouble getting along with Zhou.

[…]

The Tragic Fate of the Jews.

The Jews were increasingly oppressed after the union of Austria with Germany.  I worked closely with several American church and charity organizations, and I did.  Whatever could be done to help them, but I do not know how many we saved.  One method was to help them leave greater Germany by issuing to them visas for Shanghai.  The Germans allow Jews to leave Germany if they had such visas.

At this time, the Jews were being severely discriminated against.  Many storefronts of the Jewish were destroyed by the Nazi Brownshirts, and the owners were taken to concentration camps.  Jews who were Austrian citizens hope to go to America, but the quota of immigrants was very limited, and the requirements were difficult to fulfill.  Many came to the Chinese consulate to get visas to go to Shanghai, but the real hope was still to get a visa to go to America or England.

The attitude of the Chinese government concerning visas for Jews was not consistent, and problems arose because of this.  We had received the order from the Ministry of foreign affairs that we should accept the application of the Jews for visas and that we should be tolerant of them.  Furthermore, Director Kong Xiang-xi openly showed sympathy for the Jews, and even spoke of opening the island of Hainan for their refuge.  (Kong was director of the Executive Yuan, which is the equivalent of the chief executive of the government or Prime Minister.)  But the ambassador to Germany, Chen Chieh (1885-1951), a member of the same government and my direct superior, had a different attitude.  He maintained that, since Hitler was against the Jews, we should adopt his views in order to maintain friendly relations with Germany.  He instructed me by telephone to restrict the issuance of visas to Jews.  I told him about the order from the ministry that we should be tolerant of the Jews.  He disagreed vehemently by phone.  He said, ‘leave it to me to clear the matter with Shu-mo (Xu Shu-mo the Vice Minister of foreign affairs.)  In the meantime, do as I say,’. I assented, assuming that the ministry would quickly issue new instructions.  But we waited in vain.  Therefore, I allowed vice consul, Zhao to continue issuing visas.  According to the ministry’s original instructions.  Ambassador Chen was furious when he learned about this.  Furthermore, Zhao’s, human relations were very poor.  The rumors were reported to the ambassador that he was corrupt and had illegally sold visas.  He took the opportunity to ‘expose’ the corruption by instructing his Counselor Ding Wen-yuan (1897-1957) to come to the consulate it to investigate.

Counselor Ding arrived from Berlin to Vienna without informing us.  He told us his purpose only after his arrival.  His attitude was severe, as if he were confronting a great enemy.  He first wanted to examine our documents.  He wanted to find out if it was as I had said, that the ministry had a “policy of leniency” regarding visas for Jews.  He then wanted to investigate whether Zhou had been corrupt in issuing visas for money.  After a thorough investigation, he could find nothing at fault on these two points.  Counselor Ding then asked me, ‘Why is there a rumor that there is corruption?’  I answered, ‘One cannot believe in rumors.  According to common sense, the so-called ‘policy of leniency’ is the ordinary policy of allowing any applicant to receive a visa.  If one can get a visa so easily, why should one wish to buy one?  On the other hand, if the visa was hard to get, and Shanghai was like America, a place that all Jews wanted to go, there might be room for corruption.  But the facts are that there has been no corruption, and the rumors about Zhou are false.’ Ding had to agree with what I said.  I don’t know what he reported to the Ambassador.

In 1939, an indignant young Jewish man killed the third secretary of the German Embassy in Paris.  Hitler was enraged.  He ordered that all Jews in Greater Germany be restricted to their homes without freedom to move.  They were to wait for the police to investigate.  As it happened, I was scheduled to go that very day to the home of an executive of the standard oil company, Mr. Rosenberg, to say goodbye.  Because he was an Austrian Jew, his life and property were no longer assured.  He wanted to move with his entire family to the United States.  But he could not get a visa in time.  He decided to go to Shanghai first.  He had already gotten a visa from us and was ready to leave on the very day when all Jews were ordered to remain in their houses.  Things were happening so quickly, yet in his hurry.  He did not forget our meeting and suggested by phone that I should not go to his home.  I felt obstinate at the moment and felt that a planned meeting date should be kept.  So I went anyway.

Mrs. Rosenberg met me at the door.  She said that her husband had already been taken away for interrogation.  I was very surprised and asked whether there was any danger.  She said, ‘the person who took them away was a servant in the company who was a Nazi.  Because my husband treated people  well, it is unlikely that he will be in danger.  I think he will return safely.’  I felt relieved.  I was sitting and waiting in the sitting room when the bell rang.  I thought that Mr. Rosenberg had come back.  The maid went to the door and said, as is customary in Austria, ‘Gruss Gott (God greet You)!’  Immediately, she heard an answer in a rough, ‘what do you mean, God or no God?  Heil Hitler!’  Two arrogant plainclothesmen came charging in.  Mrs. Rosenberg went to meet them.  They said, ‘We have come to search you.’  Mrs. Rosenberg said very politely, but with some trepidation, ‘We have already been searched twice.’ ‘Then you will be searched once more’, said one of them roughly.

At the same time, I sat silently in the sitting room, smoking a cigarette and wondering how I would deal with these two ruffians.  They came into the sitting room and saw me.  One of them asked who I was.  I said I was a friend of the man of the house, and I was waiting for him to come back so I could say goodbye to him. ‘Then let me see your identification card!’  He commanded.  I said smilingly, ’That’s okay.  But who are you?  Let me see your identification card first.’  On hearing this, he stared at me angrily.  He canvassed me up and down.  In the meantime, the other fellow, with his hat awry, eyed me malignantly.  Without saying a word, he withdrew with his right hand from his coat pocket, a revolver and pointed it at me to intimidate me.  The first fellow then asked me, ‘What kind of a person are you?’  I said frankly,’ I already told you; it is easy to identify me.  But according to procedure, you must first identify yourself.’  From my demeanor, he probably suspected I was speaking with some authority.  He seemed to back off a bit.  But using Hitler’s style of pontification, he said loudly, ‘Our leader has said you foreigners should not enjoy special privileges in Germany.  Since these privileges have been abolished, you have no right to be so audacious.’  He waxed more and more self-righteous as he spoke, but since I did not seem to pay attention, he realized that there was nothing more to be done.  He said to his companion, ‘Let’s go.’  They did not bother to search.  On parting he asked Mrs. Rosenberg who I was.  She said I was the Chinese Consul General.  He slammed the door and scolded her, ‘God , damn it, why didn’t you say so.  Earlier?’  Soon after they left, Mr. Rosenberg returned.  Mrs. Rosenberg told him about the visit of the plainclothesmen.  He apologized to me repeatedly, saying, ‘These people are unreasonable.  Fortunately, no harm was done.  Otherwise, how would I be forgiven?’  I said, ‘This is not your fault.  You have done nothing wrong.’  Later, the Rosenberg’s safely arrived in Shanghai.  They lived tolerably well during the war.  He wrote a book, thanking China’s generosity.  One chapter in it described the above events.  He admired me for acting righteously in the face of a wrong.

Ho, Feng Shan, translated and edited by Monto Ho. My Forty Years as a Diplomat. (Hong Kong: University Press, 2010).

Updated November 26, 2019