To the Far East with Norddeutscher Lloyd Bremen in the 1930s…

Sam Chambers of Sinoship sourced these lovely 1930s images from the Norddeutscher Lloyd line while in Hamburg (near Norddeutscher’s old base of Bremen) recently….

Enjoy – and note perhaps the spellings of Dalny (Dalian) and Tsingtau (Qingdao, and a former German treaty port of course)…also note the putting in at the port of Moji. I have rarely seen Moji on schedules from this time (or any other) with nearby Kobe (250 miles or so away) being the normal port of call. However, it was a highly western influenced port and town from the late nineteenth century as seen in the photographs here.

Shanghai Inter-Hotel Cable Codes Guide, 1930

Before telex machines, pagers and mobile texts – all that LOL, BTW etc etc – there were cable codes that allowed for regularly sent short messages to save time and costs. Hotels in Shanghai, and throughout the Far East, worked out their own set of codes (you may need to click on the image below to see better)….for instance short codes for reserving rooms, transfers, forwarding mail – should you wish a bath simply send one of the codes followed by “B”. The bottom example shows you how efficient the system could be….

The Official Midnight in Peking Walking Tour – Saturday, September 29th

It’s on again!!

Hong Kong International Literary Festival 2-11 November 2018

Hong Kong International Literary Festival Tickets re Now On Sale
2-11 November 2018

All details here

(I’m there the first weekend by the way talking City of Devils and writing about China)

Sunset Survivors – the stories of Hong Kong’s traditional tradesmen and women

If you are in Hong Kong this will be a good event; if not the book looks like a “must have”…

Sunset Survivors

By Lindsay Varty with photography by Gary Jones

When: Thursday, September 20, 6-8pm
Where: G.O.D., 48 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
Who: All welcome. Drinks will be served!

Sunset Survivors tells the stories of Hong Kong’s traditional tradesmen and women through stunning imagery and candid interviews. Covering a myriad of curious professions that are quickly falling into obscurity, from fortune telling to face threading and letter writing to bird cage making, readers soon find themselves immersed in the streets of old Hong Kong.

Filled with interviews, photographs and little-known facts about the city’s twilight industries, Sunset Survivors is a tribute to those who keep the flame burning in a city besieged by foreign imports and stiff competition. This book is a celebration of Hong Kong’s cultural identity. It preserves the memory of these hardy men and women, and educates visitors and locals on the foundations on which the city was built.

An up-close and personal look at the industries and workers that gave rise to the Hong Kong of today, Sunset Survivors is more than just a travel or coffee-table book; it is a tribute to the city’s character, a celebration of its roots and a guide to its evolution.

In a city undergoing a dramatic cultural shift, balancing social and political upheaval, the need to document Hong Kong’s traditional livelihoods has seldom been greater. Capturing the true personality of this metropolis, Sunset Survivors is a vital piece of history.

 

Tientsin Railway Station in The Inn of Sixth Happiness

It is well known that North Wales and Snowdonia has never looked so amazing as it did standing in for China in The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, the 1958 movie with Ingrid Bergman as a missionary. Towards the start of the film Bergman arrives in Tientsin (Tianjin) by train – I’d never really paid attention to this part of the movie before always sitting up when the mountains behind the Welsh village of Beddgelert appears full of Chinese people! However, the Tientsin Railway Station scenes were filmed at the MGM Studios in Borehamwood, Hertforshire. But it looks good….

Visualising Asia: Deciphering ‘Otherness’ in Visual and Material Cultures – SOAS – 20-21/9/18

Visualising Asia: Deciphering ‘Otherness’ in Visual and Material Cultures
SOAS, University of London
20/21^stSeptember 2018

Confirmed Keynote: Dr Anne Witchard – “The Boom in Yellow”: Colour Coding at the Fin de Siecle

Full speaker programme here

to book (free entry, by the way) click here

Historically, Asia has been a contended space of exploration and domination, where both Asian and non-Asian agents sought to define themselves against others. Within this broad historical and geographical context,this international and interdisciplinary conference brings together various forms of visuals, such as films, cartoons, and objects, in their interaction with discourses of ‘other’.  The platforms of visualising Asia were assimilated into daily life and practices, feeding into narratives that transcend any single medium. Due to their visual impact, they became lasting repositories of imagined identities and thus have critical implications for those representing and those being represented. This conference invites discussions on the differing ways ‘otherness’ has been used in both Asian and non-Asian societies through visuals. We encourage the participation from postgraduates, career researchers, scholars, curators, practitioners, and archivists.  The aim is to bring together an array of visualities from across various disciplines in order to reflect on the importance of visuals in knowledge production and circulation within and across cultures and societies.

The conference convenors are Amy Matthewson (SOAS, University of London), and Dr Irene González-López (Kingston University).

Talking Anything Really – But Hopefully City of Devils and Old China…on SupChina Access’s Slack IM Service – 9/11/18 – 11am EST

Members of SupChina Access (& you can join here at very reasonable rates) might be interested to know I’ll be on their instant messaging service “Slack” for an hour on Friday September 11 at 11am EST – City of Devils, Midnight in Peking, old China, writing, history, heritage…all and any topics welcome…