All things old China - books, anecdotes, stories, podcasts, factoids & ramblings from the author Paul French
I’ll be at the Georgia Center for the Book in Atlanta this Tuesday evening talking about Midnight in Peking…more details here
Georgia Center for the Book at DeKalb County Public Library
215 Sycamore Street Decatur, Georgia 30030
(404) 370-8450 x 2225
Pity old Tanggu Road (once Boone Road) – it was once one of Shanghai’s great streets and certainly one of the best north of the Suzhou Creek. The section of the street around the junction with Zhapu Road (formerly Chapoo Road) was the most impress. The modern day Shanghailander tendency to never venture north of Soochow Creek means many people have missed out on the architecture around this area – Zhapu Road, again one of old Shanghai’s more impressive boulevards, still has a number of impressive apartment buildings and commercial/retail premises along its length.
However, Tanggu Road has now been almost gutted to the point that it is no longer a street of any interest but rather just another bland, architecturally uninteresting thoroughfare. Some of the finest longtang on the street are now almost gone, those around the junction with Zhapu Road. Small balconies were a feature of the architrectural style around this area and you can see one of the last, and dilapidated, ones below. Shame, this was a nice stretch.
You can see some more on Tanggu Road (and naturally much better photography than me and my camera phone!) on sue Anne Tay’s blog here.
Tanggu Road south side looking east
One of the last of the distinctive balcony features that once characterised this area’s residential architecture
Boarded up at ground level and doomed
Archways were also distinctive features of this area of Hongkou
And Tanggu Road looking west towards Zhapu Road
The Dixie Sisters may or may not have been any good as a “fast stepping song and dance team” and who knows who the other “8 additional high class acts” were – the whole thing was free so they may not have been exactly top rank. Still, it beats some nouveau riche overpriced bar full of Eurotrash on the Bund somewhere…and it all kicks off at 10.30pm
I’ll quickly plug this appearance by the artist Xu Bing at Three on the Bund this Sunday. Xu Bing provided a great graphic to Hong Kong University Press of their logo that was used on several of my earlier books and was always commented upon. So I’m a fan. I also note that Mian Mian is on the panel – I haven’t seen her for ages but we had a lot of fun a few years ago at a Hong Kong Literary Festival events around her novels Candy and Panda Sex.
Three Talk session
Three on the Bund
Sunday, April 22, 2012
3.30-6pm
Book from the Sky to Book from the Ground
Special guest speakers will include leading contemporary artist Xu Bing and noted author Mian Mian
RSVP: threetalk@on-the-bund.com
Xu Bing is one of China’s most important artists as well as a prominent figure in the international contemporary art world. The works on view at SGA is a continuation of Xu’s longstanding interest in the relationship between symbol, text and meaning.
In this lecture, the artist will trace the conceptual development of these themes starting with his groundbreaking, Book from the Sky (1987-1991) for which the artist single handedly invented over 3000 new Chinese characters, through his New English Calligraphy Series (1994- ), which morphs English words into Chinese characters, to the development of Book from the Ground. This talk will reveal the mechanisms behind Xu Bing’s creative process and show the evolution of this extraordinary artist’s vision.
Three Talk is an ongoing inspirational speaker series held at the historic Three on the Bund. The talks are a reflection of THREE Spirit – an appreciation of and respect for philanthropy, cultural sensitivity and unity in diversity. The purpose of the series is to engage the local community in discussions on topical socio-economic issues around the world, with particular emphasis on China.
The Atlantic ran this great article with photos on the fate of villas in Shanghai….well worth a read – click here
I won’t nick the pictures of the site so you’ll have to click through to see – hence this post is a little visually dreary!
There’s a US version of the Midnight in Peking website now – all the same except it has the US cover on the site and details of US events….
Here, by the way are some bookshop dates I’ll be doing around the USA at the end of this month, start of May…obviously lovely to see anybody!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
ATLANTA, GA
Georgia Center for the Book
1282 McConnell Drive, Decatur, Georgia
7:00 PM
Information: Georgia Center for the Book
Thursday, April 26, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC
One More Page Books
2200 N Westmoreland Street, Arlington, Virginia
7:00 PM
Information: On More Page Books
Saturday, April 28, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC
Politics & Prose
5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC
1:00 PM
Information: Politics Prose
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
ST. LOUIS, MO
Left Bank Books
399 N Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri
7:00 PM
Information: Left Bank
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
HOUSTON, TX
Murder by the Book
2342 Bissonett Street, Houston, Texas
6:30 PM
Information: Murder Books
Thursday, May 3, 2012
PHOENIX, AZ
Poisoned Pen
4014 N Goldwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, Arizona
7:00 PM
Information: Poisoned Pen
Friday, Mar 4, 2012
DENVER, CO
Tattered Cover
2526 E Colfax Avenue, Denver, Colorado
7:30 PM
Information: Tattered Cover
Monday, May 7, 2012
SEATTLE, WA
Seattle Asian Art Museum/Elliott Bay Books
Stimson Auditorium, 1400 E Prospect (in Volunteer Park), Seattle, Washington
7:00 PM
Information: Elliott Bay Book
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
PORTLAND, OR
Powell’s Books/Cedar Hills
3415 SW Cedar Hills Boulevard, Beaverton, Oregon
7:00 PM
Information: Powells
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
BERKELEY, CA
Books Inc in Berkeley
1760 Fourth Street, Berkeley, California
7:00 PM
Information: Books Inc.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
CORTE MADERA, CA
Book Passage Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera, California
7:00 PM
Information: Book Passage
“MIDNIGHT IN PEKING†BY PAUL FRENCH
TO BECOME A MAJOR TV DRAMA SERIES
RIGHTS TO PENGUIN CHINA TITLE SOLD TO KUDOS TELEVISION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, LONDON, APRIL 16, 2012:
The international publishing company Penguin is pleased to announce the sale of television serial rights to Midnight in Peking by Paul French to Kudos Television, producers of “Spooks”, for adaptation into a major international TV mini-series.
“Midnight in Peking” tells the true story of the previously unsolved murder of British teenager Pamela Werner in January, 1937. On the eve of the Japanese invasion of the Chinese city, the international community was living out its final days in denial, believing life could never change. Then, the body of Pamela Werner was discovered, dumped beneath the desolate Fox Tower. One of their own, she was the daughter of a retired diplomat and renowned Sinologist, and her death shook the tightly knit society to its core. When police investigations inevitably turned to the foreign pleasure dens selling opium, girls, and blue movies in the Peking Badlands, the British authorities quickly closed ranks, allowing the culprit to escape into the maelstrom of World War II.
In a truly stunning work of meticulous research, Paul French has woven a rich tapestry of the end of an era in old China, and uncovered the murderer behind this terrible crime. Jo Lusby, Managing Director, Penguin China, who initially acquired the book for publication, said: “Midnight in Peking reveals a period of China’s recent international history that is largely ignored. With its jazz halls, opium dens, and colourful cast of characters, this is a book that is ideally suited for television adaptation, and I am thrilled that a company of the caliber of Kudos Television has taken it on with such commitment and enthusiasm.”
Jane Featherstone, Chief Executive of Kudos Television, said: “We are incredibly excited about bringing this extraordinary story to screen. Midnight in Peking has the kind of scale and landscape rarely seen on television and our ambition is to create an outstanding, distinctive, mini-series made with the highest-profile talent and cinematic production values. This story is so immersive, layered, gripping, and full of truly startling reveals that it naturally lends itself to the longer story format that television uniquely offers.”
Already a #1 bestseller in Asia, Midnight in Peking will be published by Penguin in the US on April 21 2012, followed by the UK on May 31. Publishing rights have already been sold for the Italian and Norwegian languages.
Midnight in Peking by Paul French
ISBN INFORMATION
China: 9780670080922 Australia: 9780143567523 USA: 9780143121008 UK: 9780670921072
For more information, please contact Abi Howell (abi.howell@cn.penguingroup.com) at Penguin China publicity, or Sue Swift (sswift@kudosfilmandtv.com) at Kudos Television.
Notes for Editors
About Penguin Books
Penguin is one of the world’s leading consumer publishers. It is home to other famous names such as Dorling Kindersley, Puffin, Ladybird and Rough Guides and publishes close to 4,000 titles every year for adults and children in fiction and non-fiction, from timeless classics to the hottest bestsellers. Penguin has offices in 15 countries including the US, UK, Australia, South Africa, India and China.
About Penguin China
Penguin China was established in 2005, and works to develop the availability of English language imported books from the UK and US, establishes Chinese language publishing partnerships, and acquires 5-8 titles per year on and from China for international publication. Authors include Wang Xiaofang, He Jiahong, Paul French, Liu Heung-Shing and Karen Smith, among others. Titles are translations from Chinese and originally written in English and include both fiction and non-fiction.
Books on opium just keep on coming and all, of course, have a China angle – this one too, though by a medical man interestingly, apparently does its share of discussing opium and the “yellow peril”…as ever blurb and cover below…
