Club Lunch – Israel and China: From the Tang Dynasty to Silicon Wadi

Mr. O’Neill shared insights from his new book on the fascinating history of the Jews in China and the dramatic relations between China and Israel from 1948 until today. It includes coverage of Sir Victor Sassoon and Silas Hardoon, who turned their fortunes from trading opium into a property empire that still dominates parts of Shanghai. The speaker also shared more than 50 historical photographs showing Jewish life in China over the past 150 years and also the Jewish people who have had a profound impact on China, including Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud and Henry Kissinger.

Born in England and educated at Marlborough and New College, Oxford, Mr. O’Neill came to Hong Kong in 1978. He has lived in Asia ever since, working here in Taiwan, Japan, China and India, for Reuters, South China Morning Post and many other publications. Since 2006, he has written eight books on Chinese history. The last five, for Joint Publishing, have editions in Chinese and English.