Royal Asiatic Society Shanghai in China Library Grand Re-Opening – 23rd September

This is very good news after a slightly hasty relocation….

Saturday, 23rd September 2017
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Royal Asiatic Society Shanghai in China Library Grand Re-Opening

It is with great pleasure we announce the grand re-opening of the library of the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) China in Shanghai, located in the House of Roosevelt building on the Bund. The Roosevelt Club has provided a beautiful space on the third floor for the RAS library, which will be a resource centre and a quiet place of study for all RAS members. The RAS library will also host selected events and programs on the RAS calendar. The new library is near the site of the original RAS building, which is now the Rockbund Art Museum.

This move would not have been possible without the coordinated efforts of the management team at the House of Roosevelt, the office of the British Consulate General in Shanghai and supporters of the Royal Asiatic Society China, whom we gratefully acknowledge.

Our grand re-opening will take place on Saturday 23^rd September at the library. Please join us in celebrating this event at the ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by drinks and hors d’oeuvres in the Roosevelt Club’s private bar.

Date: September 23, 2017

Time: 5:00-8:00 pm

Location: The House of Roosevelt, 3^rd Floor

Address: 27 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu (near Beijing Dong Lu)

中山东一路27号3楼, 近北京东路

RSVP: bookings@royalasiaticsociety.org.cn

 

Please note that the Roosevelt Club has a dress code of smart business casual (please, no jeans, shorts or flipflops), and that this event is for adults over the age of eighteen. Thank you for understanding.

What’s for Tiffin? Restaurants in Old Shanghai – September 10

Historic Shanghai are organising a fascinating talk with veteran Shanghailander Bill Savadove – it’ll be great, just don’t be put off by the venue!!

What’s for Tiffin? Restaurants in Old Shanghai

What did they eat in old Shanghai? Intrigued by his grandfather’s reminisces about the Sun Ya restaurant during the 1940s, journalist Bill Savadove began asking that question. This talk, richly illustrated with images of old menus from his personal collection, provides some of the answers.

Following its development as a treaty port, Chinese and foreigners alike brought their home cooking to the city, creating a rich “stew” of Chinese regional and foreign foods. The old menus show what was on offer from as early as 1904 through to the 1940s – illustrating the international nature of cuisine and the vibrancy of the dining scene in old Shanghai. He will also go beyond the table and explore where the food came from

Venue: Disney Research Center
4/F, 624 Jianguo Lu, near Gao An Lu
Shanghai
RSVP: info@historic-shanghai.com to book and for venue

Sunday September 10, 4pm
RMB 50 members
RMB 150 nonmembers

Payment is via cash at the event or WeChat

The Australian Pursuit of Japanese War Criminals, 1945–1957 – From Foe to Friend

Dean Aszkielowicz’s new book looks like a good addition to the literature on the Far East War Crimes Tribunals after WW2….

Previous scholarship on trials of war criminals focused on the legal proceedings with only tacit acknowledgment of the political and social context. Dean Aszkielowicz argues in The Australian Pursuit of Japanese War Criminals, 1943-1957: From Foe to Friend that the trials of Class B and Class C Japanese war criminals in Australia were not only an attempt to punish Japan for its militaristic ventures but also a move to exert influence over the future course of Japanese society, politics, and foreign policy, as well as to cement Australia’s position in the Pacific region as a major power. During the Allied occupation of Japan, Australia energetically tried Japanese Class B and Class C war criminals. However, as the Cold War intensified, Japan was increasingly seen by the United States and its allies as a potential ally against communism and was no longer considered a threat to Pacific security. In the 1950s, concerns about the guilt of individual Japanese soldiers made way for pragmatism and political gain when the sentences of war criminals became a political bargaining chip.

Finding Kukan for Schools, Museums & Non-Profits

I’ve blogged before about the excellent documentary Find Kukan…Here more details and how you can use it as an educational tool…

Just in time for fall semester, DVDs and streaming versions of FINDING KUKAN are now available to schools, museums, corporations and non-profits. FINDING KUKAN has proven to be a great teaching tool, sparking thoughtful conversations about race, gender, history, and filmmaking. AND it’s inspired more than a few audience members to begin to document their own histories – something I’ve always hoped for. Please help me maximize the impact of FINDING KUKAN by forwarding this email to your educator friends who might be interested in it. And consider donating a copy of FINDING KUKAN to your public library where you can enjoy it too. Purchase information HERE.
**Note Educational DVDs of the film include the original 1941 KUKAN as an extra feature (all 85 minutes).

The Bloody Saturday Walking Tour – Shanghai – 17/9/17

Tickets are selling fast for the Penguin China/Bespoke Shanghai Bloody Saturday walking tour on Sunday 17th September. It’ll probably only happen once this year and it’s brilliant that Shanghai veteran tours guide and historian Peter Hibbard has agreed to lead it. It’s already  Time Out Shanghai Pick of the Month event for September and, as they say, a great way to connect with the city’s history and see Shanghai through new eyes.

More details on tickets here

the ebook is available here on Amazon.co.uk

There’s a short video about the book and the day itself here

Time Out Shanghai says…

On 14 August 1937, accidental bombs rained down on Shanghai’s streets and obliterated parts of the Bund, Nanjing Road and the French Concession; caused by Chinese fighter planes that inadvertently missed their targets when defending against Japanese gunboats. The incident killed thousands of civilians and injured scores more. In his new short book Bloody Saturday: Shanghai’s Darkest Day, author Paul French (Midnight in Peking) reconstructs eyewitness accounts from that fateful day.

In collaboration with French and Penguin Books, Bespoke Shanghai revisits the events of that day in a one-off walking tour. The walk – led by UK-based writer Peter Hibbard, the former President of the Royal Asiatic Society and an expert on Shanghai’s concession-era history – will take visitors to some of the sites where the worst destruction was caused, including the former Great World Building, with evocative stories that will give you a newfound appreciation for Shanghai’s history.

Instagram

pressed for time to post today but there are plenty of photos of old China on my instagram feed at oldshanghaipaul, in case you didn’t know….

Summer Holiday PhotoFest #6 – The Men Who Fought the Japanese

Summer Holiday PhotoFest #5 – Chungking Steps