The Gathering Place: Stories from the Armenian Club in Old Shanghai

By: E. G. Sergoyan

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Synopsis: Armenians who fled their homeland and migrated to Shanghai In the turbulent and horrific early twentieth century share nearly forgotten stories. In times of calamity or economic distress, only a small percentage (roughly two percent) of Armenian people are willing to leave their families, homes, and country to find a new life in exotic or foreign lands. Known as “two-percenters,” these are the refugees who made the arduous trek across Asia to gather in the exotic city of Old Shanghai, where they joined a social club in the city’s Old International Settlement. Its purpose was first to help refugees get settled, but it became a beloved place of community gathering. The Gathering Place centers on the stories of George and Nadine, two Armenian refugees who married and, after leaving China, made their way to the United States. Placed within the historical context of genocide, revolution, banditry, occupation, and two World Wars, their memories reflect the trauma of the first half of the twentieth century—a time referred to by some as the Modern Dark Age. Their stories of time and again building a new life in a foreign land offer a fresh take on the immigrant experience during a time of momentous change in Asia.