A Curious Cage: Life in a Japanese Internment Camp 1943-1945

by Peggy Abkhazi

Peggy Pemberton-Carter was one of many Europeans living in Shanghai immediately prior to World War II. Until the Japanese invasion Europeans and Americans lived comfortable, almost idyllic lives, protected from the social upheavals of a changing China by their extra-territorial rights. When the Japanese took control of Shanghai in 1941, all foreigners lost these rights and became Enemy Subjects. Freedom of movement was curtailed, some foreigners were arrested, money was devalued and homes and possessions were confiscated. In 1943 all foreigners were interned in camps where they remained until the end of the war. A Curious Cage records Peggy Pemberton-Carter s life in Shanghai from the Japanese invasion until the war s end. Written in defiance of Japanese orders, the journal portrays a bleak world brightened only by the author s unfailing belief in humanity. Originally released in 1981, this new edition of A Curious Cage has been updated with information about Peggy s life after internment and specifically about her world famous garden, Abkhazi Garden. After the war Peggy Pemberton-Carter came to British Columbia and bought property in Victoria, her chosen refuge and sanctuary, where she married Prince Nicholas Abkhazi an exiled Georgian Prince. They began a new adventure together-building a home and creating the extraordinary garden that she referred to as their child. Over the years starting with the first public garden tour in 1949, thousands of visitors had the opportunity to view and be inspired by the Abkhazis efforts. After Princess Abkhazi s death in 1994, the garden was purchased by The Land Conservancy of British Columbia to save it from destruction by developers.

Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography

168 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2002

Reviews

[Barbara Brydges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peggy Pemberton-Carter was living an easy life as an ex-pat in Shanghai when the Japanese took over the city. Eventually interned with the rest of the non-Asian community in a Japanese interment camp, she recorded her time there in a series of letters that she was unable to mail. To me, this is better than a diary because it’s less focused on her personal emotions than on writing about what it was like living in a barracks with many other women with a minimum of privacy, and a requirement to participate in the work of the camp. The Japanese Commander was relatively good to them but they still suffered from lack of food, cold, boredom, and uncertainty about their future. She’s not a complainer and is matter-of-fact about their trials, so you get a real sense of the difficulties and of the personality that allowed her to adjust.
After the war she ended up in Victoria, married exiled Russian Prince Nicholas Abkhazi, and together they created a beautiful garden that is now open to visitors. A very interesting read.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found myself skimming the book by half way. I was hoping to learn about a subject I had heard little about but found the book rather boring. Compared to camps in Europe, Shanghai was a resort. They had good food, adequate water, good sleeping arrangements and lots of personal items. Their biggest problems were boredom and privacy. It was only at the very end that food became a bit more scarce.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A person that I have known for years just recently shared her internment experience by the Japanese in Shanghai. This is not a widely known story. And here it is again. It brings new depth to having tea at The Abkhazi Garden.

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peggy Abkhazi is the center of this book, another of the women that ended up being put into a Japanese internment camp during the war. She was in Shanghai where she was taken by the Japanese to be put into an internment camp. She was fortunately never beaten although she admits to having work long hours as labor.

It seems that her camp was one of the better ones. She notes that, while still in Shanghai, the Japanese stole anything they wanted from the people,putting tags on furniture and other items claiming it now belonged to the Emperor.

She managed to keep a journal which was one thing that Japanese always looked out for during their searches.