HONGKOU District government will rebuild a cafe and renovate several historic buildings that served as iconic spots for Jewish refugees during World War II even as the city plans to have it inscribed as UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

Shanghai was home to about 20,000 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution. Many of them lived in the Tilanqiao area of Hongkou District.

The city has completed collation of the refugee list, data bank, literary, video and audio material, said Chen Jian, curator of the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum that is working with the Hongkou District government on the UNESCO application.