Who would have thought that this plaque, the Dr. Richard Frey Plaque, commemorates a Viennese boy who became a hero in China? Born Richard Stein in 1920, Frey’s life took an unexpected turn with the rise of Nazi Germany. A Jewish student and member of the Communist Party, Frey was expelled from school just before graduation and faced the looming threat of the Gestapo. In 1939, he made the courageous decision to flee Austria, ultimately finding refuge in China. He arrived in Shanghai, carrying little more than hope for a better future. He eventually reached the front lines of the Sino-Japanese War, changed his name to Richard Frey, and joined the Eighth Route Army. There, he received the Chinese name “Fu Lai,” marking his integration into Chinese society. His medical skills proved invaluable during the war. He trained medics, fought malaria with acupuncture, and even produced China’s first penicillin in 1945, a feat that earned him recognition from Mao Zedong himself. After the war, Frey chose to stay in China, becoming a citizen in 1952. He dedicated himself to public health, working to control diseases in remote areas and later serving as a specialist at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing. The Dr. Richard Frey Plaque stands as a testament to a life of resilience, courage, and unwavering dedication to his adopted country.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to