Revolutionary hero Dr Frey exhibition opens

An exhibition about the life and legacy of Dr Richard Frey, an Austrian who dedicated his life to serving the Chinese people for more than six decades, opened on Saturday at the Shanghai History Museum.

Jointly hosted by the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum and the Shanghai History Museum, the exhibition titled "A Proud Communist, No Regrets: Dr Frey's Dedication to China" will run until October 13. It details Frey's journey, who was originally named Richard Stein, who came to China from Austria to follow his Communist beliefs.

He spent 65 years in China, where he became deeply involved in the country's medical and health care fields.

Frey joined the Austrian Communist Party in 1937. Fleeing Nazi persecution, he arrived in Shanghai in 1939 to search the Communist Party of China (CPC) and support the resistance war against Japanese aggression.

In 1941, Frey moved to the Jin-Cha-Ji Anti-Japanese Base and taught at the Bethune School. He later taught at China Medical University in Yan'an, where he became a member of the CPC.

Frey helped produce China's first penicillin in 1945 and became a Chinese citizen in 1953. He passed away in 2004 in Beijing, donating his body to medical research as per his wishes.

The display includes 41 exhibits, such as Frey's notes on learning the CPC's basic knowledge and a letter signed by Commander Nie Rongzhen, many of which are being shown to the public for the first time.

Since 2019, Frey's wife, Jiang Guozhen, has donated 171 sets of historical materials to the museum, with 37 of these items featured in this exhibition.

During the opening ceremony, Chen Jian, the curator of the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, presented a donation certificate to Jiang, underscoring the significance of international friendships.

If you go:

Exhibition: A Proud Communist, No Regrets: Dr. Frey's Dedication to China

Site: Shanghai History Museum

Address: 325 Nanjing Rd W.

Duration: Through October 13

Opening Hours: 9am-5pm (except Monday)

Admission: Free