Anyone who has spent time in Beijing in the last ten years will find plenty to make them nostalgic, or perhaps (as the young say) “trigger” them in Anthony Tao’s new collection of poetry, We Met in Beijing… And we all really should support poetry… available all over the place – here on Amazon …
“Beijing is a city of multitudes, filled with contradictions and constantly in flux. It is a place for dreamers and schemers, musicians and migrant workers, techies and teachers, cat ladies and cab drivers—and at the same time, a place for none of them, a seat of power that can feel unwelcoming and closed. In his debut book, Anthony Tao opens the gates to the tree-lined streets, dusty alleys, mirthful canals, fashionable rooftops and sweaty nightclubs of China’s political and cultural nerve center, and invites readers to experience the exhilaration, hardship, and heartbreak of trying to put down roots in this gritty, unrelenting metropolis.”
Feminist, travel writer and novelist Stella Benson went to China in 1920, where she worked in a mission school and hospital, before marrying Imperial Chinese Customs man James (Shaemas) O’Gorman Anderson. They lived in Nanning, Beihai and Hong Kong. in 1922 she published The Poor Man, about Edward R. Williams, a bit of a mess set adrift in a world gone awry who drinks far too much. Towards the end of the novel he arrives in Hong Kong and China making his way to Peking. There he finds himself at what must be the Fox Tower (Dongbianmen) – which if you’re read my book Midnight in Peking, you’ll be familiar with…..
‘There was a brick slope that climbed to the top of the wall. Iron gates barred both the foot and the head of the slope but the gates were easily climbed. Edward was on the broad weedy path that ran on the top of the wall. The seeds of flowers and tall grasses had accepted the wall as part of the soil of China. Edward went into the high-beamed hall of the guard-house. The moonlight made strange and glorious broad spaces of its dusty floor; its dazzled windows looked out on naked moonlight. It was so full of silence that its old walls cracked. That corner of Peking was a watching corner. A little farther on the dragons of the Observatory watched the sky… to the west Peking was like an enchanted forest in the milky half-light.‘
The Fox Tower and the wall (showing the small round-the-wall commuter train that existed) – the slope Benson refers to is just under the arch
A poster for Horniman’s Tea, founded in 1826 on the Isle of Wight, the inventor of packaged tea whose wealth created the Horniman Museum in London. Showing their London warehouses & “Shanghai” plantations (probably because more warehouses, which they had in Shanghai, were boring), which were actually in Fuzhou and tea country.
My latest column in Macau Closer out now – how & why Macao runs through James Clavell’s Shogun (& the new FX multi-award winning Shogun TV series) like Brighton through rock…. click here to read…
From sampan ladies and bamboo scaffolders to street cleaners, fishermen, security guards and market vendors – these workers form the backbone of the fast-paced metropolis of Hong Kong, yet they are often overlooked or taken for granted. Looking beyond the glamorous harbourfront, neon-lit shopping districts and dramatic skyline, Hong Kong Shifts explores the back alleys to meet and learn from the individuals who work tirelessly to keep the city ticking. These are stories and portraits of resilience, wisdom, positivity and strength from the streets of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Shifts is a social impact storytelling platform with a mission to promote kindness, empathy and connection in our living and working environments. At the core of our project is the belief that storytelling is a powerful tool to engage, move and inspire – and, ultimately, to build bridges between diverse communities in the city that we call home.
Algernon Bertram “Bertie” Freeman-Mitford, 1st Baron Redesdale (1837-1916), writer, diplomat in China, Russia and Japan, paternal grandfather of the Mitford sisters. Served in Shanghai & Peking late 19th century and visited Haidian in the Peking suburbs in 1866 – quite a different place then!!
