In Intoxicating Shanghai Paul Bevan explores the work of a number of Chinese modernist figures in the fields of literature and the visual arts, with an emphasis on the literary group the New-sensationists and its equivalents in the Shanghai art world, examining the work of these figures as it appeared in pictorial magazines. It undertakes a detailed examination into the significance of the pictorial magazine as a medium for the dissemination of literature and art during the 1930s. The research locates the work of these artists and writers within the context of wider literary and art production in Shanghai, focusing on art, literature, cinema, music, and dancehall culture, with a specific emphasis on 1934 – ‘The Year of the Magazine’.
The inimitable Peter Hibbard on 1930s Shanghai, the Far East’s most cosmopolitan city, a city that exuded luxury, style and excitement attracting businessmen, thrill-seekers and refugees from across the globe. Nowhere represented this more than Sir Victor Sassoon’s Cathay Hotel (now the Peace Hotel), an Art Deco masterpiece that towers above Shanghai’s Bund and was the heart of the city’s wild social scene. The fortunes of the hotel have since mirrored those of the city, weathering war, revolution and social upheaval. Join Peter as he shares the fascinating stories and personalities behind the city’s most iconic landmark.
Not only is Peter one of the leading authorities on old Shanghai, it’s fair to say he knows a thing or two about historic hotels: he currently serves as Heritage and Archive Ambassador to The Peninsula Hong Kong and wrote Peace at the Cathay, the definitive work on the Peace Hotel, which was published in 2011. He lived in Shanghai for many years, reviving the Royal Asiatic Society, acting as an expert guide and publishing a number of key works on the city’s foreign concession era before he returned to the UK in 2013.
Excellent to see a bio of Tianjin-born Hersey at long last – i’m not aware of another….I haven’t had a chance to read it yet so not sure if it talks about his trips to China, but I’m ordering….
Few are the books with as immediate an impact and as enduring a legacy as John Hersey’s Hiroshima. First published as an entire issue of The New Yorker in
1946, it was serialized in newspapers the world over and has never gone
out of print. By conveying plainly the experiences of six survivors of
the 1945 atomic bombing and its aftermath, Hersey brought to light the
magnitude of nuclear war. And in his adoption of novelistic techniques,
he prefigured the conventions of New Journalism. But how did Hersey—who
was not Japanese, not an eyewitness, not a scientist—come to be the
first person to communicate the experience to a global audience?
I’ve been meaning to post these pictures of the ‘refurbished’ Columbia County Club swimming pool for a year now! The old club, on Columbia Road (Panyu Lu) was a messy chemicals factory for some time – God knows what chemicals they made there – and the pool unused. It is sadly still unused as projects in mopdern China are all about limited access and what you can’t do rather than what you can so a perfectly pool is now just something to walk around past a fairly uninspiring groups of shops and cafes. Oh well, at least it’s open again…So then and then the now…Note the completely unnecessary addition of a decidedly ugly upper tier (to squeeze out a little extra rent I presume) and the over-ornamentation on the resotration of the small fountain. Nice that the original tiling work was retained though, small mercies and all that….
As Covid19 rampages through the world, China is just emerging from its lockdown and its authors are putting their thoughts about their experiences into writing. Read Paper Republic: Epidemic is a series of translated mini-essays, free-to-view and published every Thursday here.
Yan Geling led off on 9th April, blasting the authorities for hiding the truth. She will be followed on Thursday 16th April by A Yi’s thoughts from a relatively unaffected part of China, and on Thursday 23rd April, by Han Dong’s wry view from a window, behind which he and his wife were locked down for sixty days. And there will be more to follow.
Originally published in 1937, this book contains a selection of Chinese lyric poetry translated into English by Ch’u Ta-Kao (anyone know anything more about this poet and quite prolific translator?).
The selections are largely taken from the medieval period. A preface by the renowned British anthologist, writer and literary critic Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (1863-1944) is also included
Phew, it’s been a long few weeks, hasn’t it? If you’re slowly starting to feel a little less sluggish, consider joining us on a virtual jaunt to the hutongs of 1930s Beijing as we launch the first season of our online Bespoke Speaker Series. The first session, taking place on Tuesday, April 14th, will be hosted by two of our favorite Old China experts – Paul French and Jeremiah Jenne – who’ll be teaming up to talk about the authors, politicians and famous faces that once called Beijing home.
Between the wars, a motley crew of foreigners that became known as the ‘Peking aesthetes’ resided in the city’s ancient hutong neighborhoods where they wrote novels, studied the language, learnt Chinese painting and even, in some cases, explored what was a surprisingly vibrant gay scene. Our speakers have chosen their favorite ‘original hutong hipsters’ to discuss during this talk, and will spill the beans on the likes of Wallis Simpson and Anna May Wong to boot – giving us a unique glimpse into the lives of the famous foreign residents you didn’t even know had spent time in China.
Harold Acton and Anna May Wong
Author Paul French is one of the best-known chroniclers of old China, having written Midnight in Peking as well as other bestsellers brimming with gangsters, chancers and raffish rogues from the wrong side of the tracks. Jeremiah Jenne is a beloved Beijing-based historian, writer and expert guide who brings the sights of the capital to his life with extensive research and vivid storytelling, as well as being a charismatic commentator on contemporary China.
This talk will be followed by a series of six further sessions from a variety of speakers, taking in a smorgasbord of excellent China-related topics – from true crime cases through to tea-tasting sessions and lessons in how to make your own hand-pulled noodles. We can’t wait to lead tours again, but in the meantime, come and join us online!
This talk takes place online (via Zoom) on Tuesday, April 14th at 7pm China Standard time; 12pm GMT, and costs
80 RMB per attending household. Tickets can be purchased here. For the full Bespoke Speaker Series program, click here.
FULL ACCESS PASSES covering all 7 talks are also available at a discount and can be purchased here – why not buy one for a friend who’s stuck indoors?
