Chinese Servants – Recommended – “Knows English Cooking”

Where exactly did Shanghailanders get there servants from? Well, classified ads in the North-China Daily News were one way. Of course there were agencies such as the General and the Central (and if anyone can identify where Linda Terrace was in Shanghai I’d love to know as I didn’t come across that one when researching my Old Shanghai A-Z??). The other way was for servants to advertise themselves – “Experienced Cook” – not sure “knows English cooking” is a great recommendation!!

Canidrome To-Day 5.30PM Rain or Shine

May 1940 – Though the Japanese were threateningly surrounding the International Settlement and Paris was about to fall and the French Concession to come under the control of the collaborationist Vichy regime nobody could stop Shanghailanders going to watch dogs run round a track…and bet on them obviously! Even the weather couldn’t stop the dogs at the Canidrome. Why they hyphenated To-Day though I have no idea.

The Warlord and the Engineer Goes to Suzhou

RAS Suzhou is also hosting Simon Gjore in Suzhou…the afternoo0n after Shanghai….

Sunday, November 6, 2011, 3pm

Come to the Royal Asiatic Society for an afternoon of fascinating tales from the roaring 1920s, when warlords shifted sides and assassinated each other as often as they changed concubines, and when the majority of expats in Northeast China lived in the lap of luxury. Take a unique peek into the life and times Zhang Zuolin, one of the mightiest warlords in China during the chaotic 1920s, as chronicled and photographed by the Danish arms dealer and adviser to Zhang, Robert Christensen. Simon Rom Gjeroe from Beijing Postcards is currently writing a book and preparing a documentary film on the subject, with a working title of “The Warlord and the Engineer”, for which he has done extensive research in both Denmark and China.

The Suzhou Bookworm, Gunxiu Fang 77, Shi Quan Jie. 30rmb for students; 50 rmb for members; 70 rmb for non-members. Includes one glass of wine or beer. For more information, contact Bill Dodson at bdodson88@gmail.com.

RAS Shanghai – The Warlord and the Engineer – 5th November

Saturday 5^th November, 2011 @ 4.00pm

Venue: Sashas, 11 Dongping Road (corner of Hengshan Road) 3^rd Floor event space

SIMON GJEROE

The Warlord and the Engineer: The Mukden Tiger – Zhang Zuolin – and his Danish Weapons Advisor

MUKDEN CITY GATE

A unique peek into the life and times of the mightiest warlord in China during the chaotic 1920s, as well as expat life in the capital of Northeast China, Shenyang.

Robert Christensen, a Dane, went to Mukden (present day Shenyang) in 1922 accompanying the Manchurian Warlord Zhang Zuolin’s biggest ever order of weapons machinery. Shortly after, he was hired by Zhang to build up the largest arsenal in all of China and consequently had the chance to document, in Kodak stills and silent film footage, the life and death of the short hot-tempered former bandit who ruled Manchuria as his own. Zhang lived a life of luxury in his small castle where he had five wives, was driven around in bright yellow bulletproof limousines, and amassed enormous personal wealth.

Zhang Zuolin

He often threw huge banquets for the foreign community in town, where, standing on a chair in the middle of the room, he would present his dreams for a new China – which of course invariably included himself as ruler of all.

Robert Christensen, with a very profitable contract in hand, became one of Zhang’s trusted foreign advisors and admirers. In his seven years of service he was able to follow Zhang from the great dreams and successes of the beginning, through the conquest of large swathes of eastern China including Beijing, to the final collapse of his armies, complete bankruptcy of the Manchurian economy, and his eventual assassination in 1928. Christensen also recorded Chinese street scenes with avid curiosity, documenting the development and change of Mukden, as well as the life of an expat living through good times, with baijiu and champagne flowing freely.

An afternoon of fascinating tales from the roaring 20s, where warlords shifted sides and assassinated each other as often as they changed concubines, and where the majority of expats lived in the lap of luxury, while most Chinese struggled through absolute poverty. And all of this with bombs dropping all around of them…

Simon will share with us some of his research and show us a short documentary (23minutes), originally made in Danish, later purchased by British Television and interests the sound track dubbed into English.

Robert Christiensen

Simon Rom Gjeroe from Beijing Postcards is currently writing a book and preparing a documentary film on the subject, with a working title of “The Warlord and the Engineer”, for which he has done extensive research in both Denmark and China. He obtained his Master of Arts in Chinese and Modern East Asian Studies, from universities in Denmark and Chengdu. An independent scholar of Chinese history and culture, he has published both a book on Danish missionaries in Manchuria from 1893 – 1960, a guide book on Beijing for the Scandinavian market as well as many articles on China related history, culture and travel for Danish and international magazines.

Entrance: RMB TBA (RAS members) and RMB TBA (non-members) those unable to make the donation but wishing to attend may contact us for exemption, prior to the RAS Lecture Series. Membership applications and membership renewals will be available at these events.   RSVP: to RAS Bookings at: bookings@royalasiaticsociety.org.cn

Midnight in Peking – The Approaching Storm

The travel section of The Australian newspaper ran a short excerpt from Midnight in Peking last weekend from the opening chapter entitled The Approaching Storm. It’s part of their Journeys: Spirit of Discovery series that looks at popular travel destinations through different and more literary lights. Might be of interest to anyone interested in the book or Peking history – click here.

Really Need a Crocheted Turban in Shanghai? Get Down to Cleo Crochet on the Bubbling Well Road

Hard to imagine that you could run a shop in 1940 in Shanghai selling nothing but crocheted turbans!! But it seems it was possible…and not even on a side street but right there on the Bubbling Well Road (Nanjing West Road these days). Apparently “all the smart women were wearing crochet turbans” in 1940 and in all colours too!! Apparently a sideline in bedspreads, pillow cases and table clothes were available – all crocheted too!! Just in case you’re not sure what a crocheted turban looked like they are actually quite cool as shone below on a 1940s model.

Midnight in Peking on the Radio…and Electra House

By way of self-promotion here’s a quick link to me talking about Midnight in Peking on RTHK’s Morning Brew show with Phil Whelan.

As this is technically a history blog I thought I’d better find a suitable picture to accompany this piece of blatant self-aggrandizement. If memory serves I believe that in 1950 many RTHK programmes were recorded or broadcast from the wonderfully named Electra House, Cable & Wireless’s regional headquarters on Connaught Road Central. Sadly gone, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel now occupies the site; a somewhat less impressive building in my humble opinion.

It’s Saturday night – Here’s Luck – Get a Pint of EWO Down You

Ewo Pilsner – a standard and widely available beer in Shanghai before 1949 and produced by Jardine’s (EWO was also Jardine’s Hong name). Not sure what it was like, obviously a lager but they didn’t advertise strength or alcoholic content in those days (nor those stupid injunctions to not drink and drive or operate heavy machinery).

Here’s Luck!! – not one of the better slogans

Nice to see girls getting a pint down them though!