"We have to rescue this history, " insists Xu Buzeng, 70-year-old doyen of Jewish scholars in Shanghai, who realized a lifelong dream last fall when he visited Israel on a fellowship to Hebrew University.

CNN: The Ghosts of Shanghai

Even so, Shanghai remains an architecture student's dream.

WSJ: Ancient Village Rises in Shanghai; The Shock of the Old

Zhao's, album called Dream Situation, features modern arrangements of standards popular in Shanghai more than 70 years ago.

NPR: Singer Brings a Modern Sound to Chinese Jazz