Well, just one I reckon. I happened to note that among those books published in 1927 and now coming into the public domain according to US copyright law is HGW Woodhead’s The China Year Book 1926-1927. Now, anyone who has looked at early twentieth century Chinese history will know Woodhead – if you don’t then there is an article I wrote for Visualising China on him here. What I did not know was that as well as a larger-than-life Old China Hand, the editor of the Peking & Tientsin Times, and author of several books Woodhead was also awarded the Order of Leopold II – ‘an order of Belgium established in 1900 and named in honor of King Leopold II. It’s awarded for meritorious service to the sovereign of Belgium, and as a token of his personal goodwill to both Belgians and foreigners, as well as a diplomatic gift of merit.’ Not sure how many other Old China Hands were also Knights of King Leopold II?
Patricia O’Sullivan has been working away writing some amazing women’s history concerning Hong Kong for some time now. As a a writer and researcher on the lesser-known aspects of Hong Kong’s history prior to 1941 she stumbled upon an article concerning the death of her great-uncle in 1918 when he was an inspector in the Hong Kong Police, she quickly became immersed in the social history of colonial Hong Kong. Her research led to her first book, Policing Hong Kong: An Irish History.
She followed this up with a fascinating study of women and the courts in Hong Kong – Women, Crime and the Courts: Hong Kong 1841-1941.
Now, after a break, she’s returing to Hong Kong to speak to Annemarie Evans this weekend (7th & 8th Jan) on her RTHK Radio 3 program on women’s lives in HK’s first prison, also the subject of hertalk on 14th Jan at the TaiKwun arts centre, ‘Incarcerated Women: 90 yrs in Victoria Gaol’. On 12th Jan she is with other authors at the Bookazine branch in Princes Building for an informal session.
JAPANESE FORCES IN MONGOLIA, CHINA & TAIWAN; Range with 1936 plain censored unfranked PC to Tokyo from the inner Mongolian Expedition, 1938 env. (and contents) to Japan from the Shanghai Special Land Combat Forces with 1st Naval FPO marking on front, Jan. 1939 2s Japanese military PC to Japan from the Tanan Okamoto Force in Taiwan and a few others…
Early treaty port era stamps look very basic, but interesting. For instance this c.1865 stamp issued by Shanghai LPO (Local Post Office) and valued for 8 Candareens (a traditional measurement equal to approximately 378 milligrams). And with a dragon motif.
Out this month is photographer Nicky Almasy’s tavelogue-cum-memoirs, Recycling Reality, of roaming through 90s and ewarly 2000s London, Mexico, SE Asia and Shanghai. For anyone around in the late 1990s and early 2000s in Shanghai Nicky’s essays and experiences of the renaissance of jazz in ther French Concession and the skysraper boom in Pudong will be of interest. Click here to buy….
I’ve posted about half a dozen other silversmiths in Shanghai in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries before (just put ‘silversmith’ in the search box to see). Here’s another – Wang Hing, of Hong Kong (most of the silversmiths in Shanghai were originally from Cantonese speaking regions of China) and Shanghai, again largely targeting the Shanghailander and tourist trade.
Here, a Chinese Silver Scent Bottle and hinged gilt lined box decorated with embossed dragons, scent c. 10cm tall and box 9x4cm, stamped WH90 for Wang Hing of Hong Kong and Shanghai, 172g.
Three piece Chinese silver tea service comprising of teapot, sugar bowl & cream jug with embossed prunus decoration
silver goblet
rectangular box with hinged cover and sides embossed with dragons amidst clouds
silver three piece melon shaped tea service, comprising teapot, milk jug and sucrier, chased with birds and blossoming prunus on a textured ground
silver candle sticks
silver bowl with ruby glass liner and decorated with dragons
My ten China book author Q&As for the China-Britain Business Council’s Focus magazine last year – from business to travel; history to literature….click here…
