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Shanghai : The Rise and Fall of a Decadent City 1842-1949
Transformed from a swampland wilderness into a dazzling, modern-day Babylon, the Shanghai that predated Mao′s cultural revolution was a city like no redolent with opium and underworld crime, booming with foreign trade, blessed with untold wealth and marred by abject squalor. Journalist Stella Dong captures all the exoticism, extremes, and excitement of this legendary city as if it were a larger-than-life character in a fantastic novel.
336 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
August 31, 2014
What can I say?
I really like this book. It is not perfect, far from it, since I wished some topics (like the Boxer Rebellion or the cities society) could have been presented with more details, albeit society already did get a lot, just not enough for me.
However I think it is a very good introduction to the topic of Shanghai since it covers a wide range of topics about the city, from its beginnings to its ends, from the highest echelons of society to the professional beggars and prostitutes of the street. Trust me, you will see a lot of tragic and funny stories when it comes to this, ranging from surprising to outright stereotype.
You also get some insights into the wider Chinese society of the late Qing dynasty, e.g. their opinions about foreigners especially Westerners, women's rights and how the First Sino-Japanese War affected China in a way the European powers never could. You get some information on classes, slavery, acting, musicians, revolution, imperialism, xenophobia, prostitution, immigration, trade and war. There really is a lot and I thought when I read this that Shanghai of the time would make a great place for Noir and detective stories with all its crime lords, opium dens and gambling halls. And trust me the name "Whore of the Orient" is not made up and truly fitting considered the high number of prostitutes, especially in the 1930s. But I really don't want to spoil anything for the readers, well not this time, so I stop here with the content.
Of course to be fair, I don't have the knowledge to say how accurate it all is, I simply have to trust this book.
The book is very well written and despite its size it was never boring. Would I have had more time I would have read it in one day the reading flow was so smooth. This history book is better written then a lot of fiction I read. The only problem is that here and there you do stumble about some spelling errors that a computer probably would not have spotted but an editor should have. But it doesn't happen often and doesn't hinder the flow; it is just something that could have easily been avoided.
However there was one pretty annoying flaw: The author sometimes just changes from Japan to Nippon, calling the troops Nipponese and all. Ok, it doesn't confuse me because I know what it means but what about others?
I really like this book. It is not perfect, far from it, since I wished some topics (like the Boxer Rebellion or the cities society) could have been presented with more details, albeit society already did get a lot, just not enough for me.
However I think it is a very good introduction to the topic of Shanghai since it covers a wide range of topics about the city, from its beginnings to its ends, from the highest echelons of society to the professional beggars and prostitutes of the street. Trust me, you will see a lot of tragic and funny stories when it comes to this, ranging from surprising to outright stereotype.
You also get some insights into the wider Chinese society of the late Qing dynasty, e.g. their opinions about foreigners especially Westerners, women's rights and how the First Sino-Japanese War affected China in a way the European powers never could. You get some information on classes, slavery, acting, musicians, revolution, imperialism, xenophobia, prostitution, immigration, trade and war. There really is a lot and I thought when I read this that Shanghai of the time would make a great place for Noir and detective stories with all its crime lords, opium dens and gambling halls. And trust me the name "Whore of the Orient" is not made up and truly fitting considered the high number of prostitutes, especially in the 1930s. But I really don't want to spoil anything for the readers, well not this time, so I stop here with the content.
Of course to be fair, I don't have the knowledge to say how accurate it all is, I simply have to trust this book.
The book is very well written and despite its size it was never boring. Would I have had more time I would have read it in one day the reading flow was so smooth. This history book is better written then a lot of fiction I read. The only problem is that here and there you do stumble about some spelling errors that a computer probably would not have spotted but an editor should have. But it doesn't happen often and doesn't hinder the flow; it is just something that could have easily been avoided.
However there was one pretty annoying flaw: The author sometimes just changes from Japan to Nippon, calling the troops Nipponese and all. Ok, it doesn't confuse me because I know what it means but what about others?
July 4, 2015
Shanghai was a world of its own--quite literally as different countries ruled their own roosts within it. While the most international of cities at one point, Shanghai was still insular, especially compared to other cosmopolitan cities like New York or Paris, with each nationality socializing among themselves. Because of the strange situation with different laws and police forces in different parts of the city, crime was rampant with gang members serving as policemen with the understanding that they would protect Westerners if the fact that they were robbing, raping and killing Chinese was ignored. If a (non-police-force) criminal was sought by police, they could just skip into another nationality's section of the city where the laws they'd broken did not apply. The ordinary, working Chinese were horrifyingly abused--first by Westerners, than by the opposite sides of the civil war (both before and after WWII) and finally by the Japanese whose occupying forces were savage.
Shanghai was decadent until it descended into despair. It was fun while it lasted. At least for those with the money to enjoy it.
Shanghai was decadent until it descended into despair. It was fun while it lasted. At least for those with the money to enjoy it.
December 19, 2008
This was fantastic. I learned a ton about the history of Shanghai and it was packed with so many amazing, crazy, super-interesting details. Shanghai from the late 1800s through the 1940s was freaking insane. I had to stop myself from jumping up every 5 pages to type up some amazing passage I'd just read and email it to all my friends being like, ISN'T THIS FASCINATING?
I must say though, something went wrong with the copyediting schedule on this thing because when I got to, I dunno, maybe the last 50-100 pages, there were suddenly all these typos in the text.
I must say though, something went wrong with the copyediting schedule on this thing because when I got to, I dunno, maybe the last 50-100 pages, there were suddenly all these typos in the text.
May 9, 2013
A haunting look at the transformation of a sleepy mudlands to the world's most decadent and international city of all time. I found one factual error (Victor Sassoon was Jacob Sassoon's nephew, not his son), but otherwise enjoyed this telling history. Looking at Shanghai today, one can't help but wonder if some of its history is bound to repeat.
June 4, 2012
Well written, but Dong writes with the assumption that the reader knows the history of China already,
June 23, 2009
As those of you crazy enough to follow my reading preferences have noted, I have a bit of a fetish for the interwar period. Furthermore, thanks to a year in Japan, I've absorbed more than my fair share of Asian history. Well, this little chunk of history scratches at two itches simultaneously.
Stella Dong seeks to capture that bizzare moment of history where the clash of Sino and Western cultures produced dizzying displays of Chinese beauty encased in an art deco facade. Shanghai has been called the Paris of the East. It surely was the most cosmopolitan city in East Asia, and was arguably more so than any other country in the world.
I went into this book with a reasonably sophisticated understanding of the back story. Of course, I knew about the first and second Opium Wars -- events that rank right up there with the holocaust in my book, for displaying the absolute worst elements of Western ideology. Sadly, it was in this context that Shanghai developed.
Essentially, Shanghai was a muddy, undeveloped backwater when China was compelled to open it to foreign trade. Two "concessions" began immediately -- the French Concession, and the "International" Concession (really an alamgamation of Anglo-American interests, under British control). In an illustration of the melancholy truths that often accompany colonialism, the imperialists transformed Shanghai into the most successful and dynamic city in China.
Dong really tells a pretty conventional tale here. It is largely an anecdotal history. Her technique for pulling it all together is thinly interwoven biographical vignettes. Her approach certainly works. But at times, you miss the amazing sweep of what's happening to this city, to follow salacious stories about prostitutes, gangsters and dead bodies.
With a subtitle like "the rise and fall of a decadent city" none of this is particularly surprising. However, it is a little disappointing. Shanghai is already the world's largest metropolitan area. It is on track to become the worlds most important. All the antecedents for these developments are to be found in this time frame, with this history. Dong's book really does not try to view past as prologue. Instead, it seems to want to shock and surprise our notions of Victorian sensibilities on ground that is already well tred.
I did add some color to my understanding of contemporary Chinese history from this book. The long relationship between Chiang Kai Shek and the leading families of Shanghai was new to me. It leaves me a little bewildered that he could continue to be so lionized in Taiwan. I was also happy to learn that the vote on the Opium War was a close run thing in Britain. Even the parliament seemed to understand what a cynical act they were taking.
Other than that, the book is a bit of ephemera. A nice read; it may leave an impression, but eschews the opportunity to be something more. Given Shanghai's position in the global economy, that is a missed opportunity indeed.
Stella Dong seeks to capture that bizzare moment of history where the clash of Sino and Western cultures produced dizzying displays of Chinese beauty encased in an art deco facade. Shanghai has been called the Paris of the East. It surely was the most cosmopolitan city in East Asia, and was arguably more so than any other country in the world.
I went into this book with a reasonably sophisticated understanding of the back story. Of course, I knew about the first and second Opium Wars -- events that rank right up there with the holocaust in my book, for displaying the absolute worst elements of Western ideology. Sadly, it was in this context that Shanghai developed.
Essentially, Shanghai was a muddy, undeveloped backwater when China was compelled to open it to foreign trade. Two "concessions" began immediately -- the French Concession, and the "International" Concession (really an alamgamation of Anglo-American interests, under British control). In an illustration of the melancholy truths that often accompany colonialism, the imperialists transformed Shanghai into the most successful and dynamic city in China.
Dong really tells a pretty conventional tale here. It is largely an anecdotal history. Her technique for pulling it all together is thinly interwoven biographical vignettes. Her approach certainly works. But at times, you miss the amazing sweep of what's happening to this city, to follow salacious stories about prostitutes, gangsters and dead bodies.
With a subtitle like "the rise and fall of a decadent city" none of this is particularly surprising. However, it is a little disappointing. Shanghai is already the world's largest metropolitan area. It is on track to become the worlds most important. All the antecedents for these developments are to be found in this time frame, with this history. Dong's book really does not try to view past as prologue. Instead, it seems to want to shock and surprise our notions of Victorian sensibilities on ground that is already well tred.
I did add some color to my understanding of contemporary Chinese history from this book. The long relationship between Chiang Kai Shek and the leading families of Shanghai was new to me. It leaves me a little bewildered that he could continue to be so lionized in Taiwan. I was also happy to learn that the vote on the Opium War was a close run thing in Britain. Even the parliament seemed to understand what a cynical act they were taking.
Other than that, the book is a bit of ephemera. A nice read; it may leave an impression, but eschews the opportunity to be something more. Given Shanghai's position in the global economy, that is a missed opportunity indeed.
May 2, 2010
Nearly 5 years into my Shanghai habitation, and I'm just reading this book. No excuse whatsoever either as a copy has been on my shelf for the better part of 3 or 4 years. But now I have read it and I am labeling myself an official expert of Shanghai between the years of 1842 and 1949, which I'm sure you'll agree, is quite the accomplishment after having completed this 294 page book.
On a scale of 1 to 5, I'd give this book a 3. The author, Stella Dong, seems to have done her research and provided a good view of the formation of Shanghai; however, I sometimes felt like her writing was trying a little too hard and some of the intrigue and rapid changes (that make Shanghai Shanghai) were hard to follow--there were so many Chens and Chiangs. I live here and I couldn't keep them all straight. I admit that this is not totally Dong's fault, but still, the names piled up like bodies on the shore of the Huangpu (or Whangpu has it was then called.)
As I read the annals of the city--the rise of foreign powers, the corruption, the urbanity, the alliances, and betrayals--I was consistently struck by how similar old Shanghai is with the present day version. The elite foreigners, impoverished "outsiders" (i.e. non-Shanghainese), rickshaws, the Shanghai attitude and aesthetic, debauchery, smelly creeks, working conditions, and red lights are all aspects of the city that are alive and well today. I got to wondering, is there a foundation built here in this city that continues to be built upon today? Sure, the negative things are a part of many, if not all, cities--yet this city seems to me to be unique in the way it flaunts itself and often turns a blind eye to its flaws. Foundations can be undone though and perhaps change is coming. It is up to the people in the city to do it. As the Expo ushers in myriad Chinese and foreign visitors, perhaps the concept of a Better City, Better Life will be a tiny spark that encourages the people of this metropolis to examine the things on which they put importance. Will it be things or people? Will it only be people like you or people in need? Whatever the case, it will certainly be passed down to the generations to come.
On a scale of 1 to 5, I'd give this book a 3. The author, Stella Dong, seems to have done her research and provided a good view of the formation of Shanghai; however, I sometimes felt like her writing was trying a little too hard and some of the intrigue and rapid changes (that make Shanghai Shanghai) were hard to follow--there were so many Chens and Chiangs. I live here and I couldn't keep them all straight. I admit that this is not totally Dong's fault, but still, the names piled up like bodies on the shore of the Huangpu (or Whangpu has it was then called.)
As I read the annals of the city--the rise of foreign powers, the corruption, the urbanity, the alliances, and betrayals--I was consistently struck by how similar old Shanghai is with the present day version. The elite foreigners, impoverished "outsiders" (i.e. non-Shanghainese), rickshaws, the Shanghai attitude and aesthetic, debauchery, smelly creeks, working conditions, and red lights are all aspects of the city that are alive and well today. I got to wondering, is there a foundation built here in this city that continues to be built upon today? Sure, the negative things are a part of many, if not all, cities--yet this city seems to me to be unique in the way it flaunts itself and often turns a blind eye to its flaws. Foundations can be undone though and perhaps change is coming. It is up to the people in the city to do it. As the Expo ushers in myriad Chinese and foreign visitors, perhaps the concept of a Better City, Better Life will be a tiny spark that encourages the people of this metropolis to examine the things on which they put importance. Will it be things or people? Will it only be people like you or people in need? Whatever the case, it will certainly be passed down to the generations to come.
July 22, 2014
I haven't read any Chinese history since reading a book on the Boxer Rebellion a few years ago. I had seen this book in library, but didn't feel overly drawn to it when scanning through. Sadly, the library's holding in this subject don't change much, so a couple of years later this is still one of the few books on Chinese history available. The book covers the period from the earlier colonial arrivals in Shanghai to the fall of the Kuomintang and the rise of Communism. It was a fairly slow read. I felt the chapters had a free-flow pattern of development, with little narrative arch. While that may be the way much history is written, I think I expected more. It was hard to get a sense of where the book was heading most of the time. I plowed through mostly because I wanted to gain a little understanding, but felt the subject could have been treated differently with much success.
January 22, 2023
Shanghai from 1850 to 1950 or so was an incredibly interesting place and time. This book captures the zeitgeist very well. Lots of well researched examples of life in the fast lane in Shanghai. It is however quite confusing because important historical events and figures are sort of sprinkled through the book like salt and pepper, rather than being introduced and analyzed clearly as a historian usually would. I was particularly interested to read this book because my maternal grandparents lived in China in the 30's and 40's (my mother was born there) departing Shanghai for the USA in April, 1949 and my wife's grandfather was born and raised in Pudong, before emigrating to Indonesia in the 1920's.
June 17, 2016
Entertaining popular account of "the most pleasure-mad, rapacious, corrupt, strife-ridden, licentious, squalid and decadent city in the world." (1) Guided by shameless venality and generalized amorality, shadowed by calamity and human misery, Shanghai in the scant century from the start of the 19th century's most calamitous civil war in 1850 (the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement) to the triumph of Mao's communists in 1949 was a city that seemed to strive in every way to exceed Heironymous Bosch's most perfervid reveries: a city given over entirely to feasting, whoring, dancing, gambling, powder-taking and money-making. The most vicious place in the world.
June 14, 2018
Even though the book is filled with great information, the way it is written is slow, disorganized, and not really engaging. The author jumps from one subject to another, making it confusing at times. She fails to introduce historical events and people properly: for example, she will mention who someone is in one chapter, but will not properly introduce him until a chapter later. Furthermore, the book seems to have a premature end, with the communist take over of the city. The book was published in 2000, which means that she could have included what happened in Shanghai during the Great Leap Forward or the Cultural Revolution, and how it got to be the great modern city that it is today.
July 28, 2024
The author clearly went to great lengths to compile a wealth of information covering politics, opium warfare, economic power struggles, diversity, classes, and social conflicts, all through the perspectives of both locals and foreigners.
Picture NYC today—a melting pot where different races and religions adjust to a new country and city. Now, imagine Shanghai in the same light. The city evolved into a glamorous, a city of new opportunities- lawless haven for businesses and China's party central.
This book struck a personal chord with me as both my parents are of Shanghainese origin. I found references that aligned with their upbringings and my experiences as a child- the "old Shanghai" before gentrifications. Reading this was a delightful treat, making me feel more connected to my family’s roots.
Picture NYC today—a melting pot where different races and religions adjust to a new country and city. Now, imagine Shanghai in the same light. The city evolved into a glamorous, a city of new opportunities- lawless haven for businesses and China's party central.
This book struck a personal chord with me as both my parents are of Shanghainese origin. I found references that aligned with their upbringings and my experiences as a child- the "old Shanghai" before gentrifications. Reading this was a delightful treat, making me feel more connected to my family’s roots.
January 18, 2020
In my life prior to reading this, it’s always been the bits left unsaid that seemed to say the most about Shanghai’s mysterious allure whenever it was mentioned in movies or fiction I came across. Well this book puts an end to all that. It spells out exactly what Shanghai was or wasn’t and how it came to acquire its notoriety. What a story. And so seemingly well told. The highs and lows of capitalism, colonialism, communism, racism, imperialism, opportunism all combine for a cocktail that eventually explodes in residents faces. It’s shocking how matter of factly the end days are described as they play out. Sadly it feels like the Spectres of those players and events are still all too apparent in current geo-politics and recent history. Worth the read.
November 20, 2018
実はがっかりした。。上海はとても面白いけどこの本はちょっと良くなかって読みにくい。つづり字の誤りをしたからいらいらした
I'm a bit disappointed in this book... Shanghai is so interesting but this book just wasn't that great in expressing that and it was a bit hard to read. And there were spelling mistakes which really bothered me!
**I feel like I'm harsher on this book in Japanese lol I just don't know what was up with me this time around, I would read two pages and realize that I didn't take anything in and that I wasn't actually reading... Life has been stressful lately so maybe I just need to take it easy...
I'm a bit disappointed in this book... Shanghai is so interesting but this book just wasn't that great in expressing that and it was a bit hard to read. And there were spelling mistakes which really bothered me!
**I feel like I'm harsher on this book in Japanese lol I just don't know what was up with me this time around, I would read two pages and realize that I didn't take anything in and that I wasn't actually reading... Life has been stressful lately so maybe I just need to take it easy...
January 25, 2020
This book really helped me explain to myself why a stroll down Shanghai's Bund offered the most European view of architecture in all of Asia. Like all good cities, Shanghai has a rich and calamitous history full of character. Two of which can perhaps claim the ominous title of 'century's most successful drug dealers' and 'conquerors', two 'upstanding' Scottish men of high society, drug traffickers, William Jardine and James Matheson. Personally it was eye opening to learn of how much China has geopolitically suffered over the past two hundred years.
September 1, 2024
I don't understand how this book was written in 2000. It has a narrative structure, so lacks detail on important aspects of history, lacks sources, and flips between historical and modern names for things (in other words, between colonialist and native words). I expect that out of Victorian adventurers, and even would have forgiven this book if it was published in the 50s, but not a journalist in the 21st century.
May 20, 2018
This book was recommended by a cousin due to my frequent trips to China - though only a few times to Shanghai. It is a terrific book which explains much of the history of China as well that of Shanghai. I highly recommend this work.
September 18, 2017
Strong opening chapters on the early history and development of the Shanghai community devolve into a messily-organized laundry list of thieves, thugs, and political operatives. It sparked my interest in learning more about the place (particularly Mao's wife's experiences there and the Jewish communities), though, so there's that.
April 28, 2020
Boeiend onderwerp, maar het heeft me veel moeite gekost om er een beetje doorheen te komen.
July 4, 2020
Fascinating inside of the Paris of the Orient, the collaboration of foreign merchants, nationalist fanatics and criminal gangs up until the defeat by the PLA. Great read for history buffs
June 30, 2021
The 19th century section eas particularly enlightening.
November 2, 2013
After enjoying Paul French’s Midnight in Peking, and feeling ashamed for having lived in Shanghai for over a decade without a clue about the city’s history (and getting nauseated by the overuse of French Concession as a neighborhood name) I reached for Stella Dong's widely read The Rise and Fall of a Decadent City. Surmising from the back flap the author is a journalist rather than an historian which explains why the book reads more like investigative journalism then annotated academic history.
Dong presents a biography of the city (1842-1949) by following major events, anecdotes about big name foreigners in the foreign administered concessions, gangsters and gangs, opium and prostitution, real estate and gambling; and places these in the context of current events in China such as rebellions, revolutions and wars. In the 19th century foreigners and Shanghainese didn’t mix, and expats mostly lived in a total bubble. The foreigners did have a big impact on the city’s fortune by bringing in industry and also by filling the coffers of the Qing dynasty with efficiently collected import duties and taxes (a third of the national total came from foreign administered customs bureau on the Bund). Dong shows that while locals hated to concede to the foreign administration, they also liked to work within the law and order that the concession brought for their businesses. The book zooms in mostly on the British and American interests in the city and although the “French Concession” is mentioned a lot in passing it is also mainly as a neighborhood name, the administrative structure or economic significance of the French (or the Japanese and German concessions for that matter) is missing. What I also missed in the book was a city map from different era’s to help me understand where these historic places are situated now. I also don’t understand why this book (published in 2000) doesn’t use pinyin for the Romanization, which makes it hard to track back people and place names. I’m interested to delve into the books bibliography for more reading on the topic.
Dong presents a biography of the city (1842-1949) by following major events, anecdotes about big name foreigners in the foreign administered concessions, gangsters and gangs, opium and prostitution, real estate and gambling; and places these in the context of current events in China such as rebellions, revolutions and wars. In the 19th century foreigners and Shanghainese didn’t mix, and expats mostly lived in a total bubble. The foreigners did have a big impact on the city’s fortune by bringing in industry and also by filling the coffers of the Qing dynasty with efficiently collected import duties and taxes (a third of the national total came from foreign administered customs bureau on the Bund). Dong shows that while locals hated to concede to the foreign administration, they also liked to work within the law and order that the concession brought for their businesses. The book zooms in mostly on the British and American interests in the city and although the “French Concession” is mentioned a lot in passing it is also mainly as a neighborhood name, the administrative structure or economic significance of the French (or the Japanese and German concessions for that matter) is missing. What I also missed in the book was a city map from different era’s to help me understand where these historic places are situated now. I also don’t understand why this book (published in 2000) doesn’t use pinyin for the Romanization, which makes it hard to track back people and place names. I’m interested to delve into the books bibliography for more reading on the topic.
January 27, 2015
For the past couple of nights I have been wandering through the streets of Shanghai with Stella Dong. Her book Shanghai, 1842-1949: The Rise and Fall of a Decadent City (New York: William Morrow, 2000) has been my guidebook for wandering through the backstreets, clubs and politics of this 20th-century wonder. The city that Dong describes for the brief time it became a zone outside of everything was a place where anything was possible. A place where anyone could escape their past and remake themselves, where refugees found refuge from a world that was crumbling around them. Her portrait of the city is filled with a delft touch that brings it to life and makes one feel the pulse of this exciting place. Like all sites of decadence, Shanghai became a place of dreams, desires and desperation, a place of possibility and death. It is one of those places I wish I had been able to discover in its full splendor. Instead I have had the pleasure of sinking into the arms of Dong's city each night discovering new subjects and people as I wander with her through streets filled with colour, splendor and wonder.
April 30, 2016
This is a brilliant book. A great history of Shanghai. Why only three stars? Firstly, the Wade-Giles translations of names. Please hope all future editions are in pinyin. Second, a lack of maps. For those familiar (and not so) with Shanghai, a more detailed map would be very useful in making sense of the narrative. Thirdly, I felt this book needed to be reorganised and better edited. The content can stay. Dong weaves an engrossing tale of the rise and fall and rise of Shanghai in the century before the Communist seizure of power in the late 1940s. This is inclusive of tales of foreigners, rich Chinese, business men and brothel owners, coolies and police constables. The historical writing is narrative but it brings the city alive. My complaint on the editing is that some of the best chapters - the middle of the book - are over-50 pages plus in length. The range of topics Dong covers is fantastic, but a more careful organisation of the material into shorter chapters would've made this book an easier read and a better, more focussed, one.
February 8, 2015
Stella Dong plays tour guide to Old Shanghai, that decadent seedy mega-city born in the last years of the Manchu Empire. Shanghai, being an ungrateful daughter, was the center of intrigue and funding that finally toppled the last Emperor of China in Beijing. Shanghai of the 1920's sounds so alluring and dangerous that I can't help wishing that I could jump into my hot-tub time machine and visit it for a couple of weeks. I would also like to make sure that I was not forced into prostitution, murdered by the Green Gang, or hooked on opium.
February 24, 2010
This was a great quick read about my home city these days. The author combined an impressive range of exhaustive resources and wove them all together in a very enjoyable story. I can't believe so many people died on the streets I travel daily here in Shanghai. The power struggles between opium warlords, Nationalists, Communists, rich businessmen, and foreign interests shocked me, yet, there's no public reminder of these events here.
November 21, 2011
In 2000, I sent my mother this book for her birthday since she was born in Shanghai. I found it among her things after she died in March.
I enjoyed reading this book and catching a glimpse of the place where my mom was born. Its a very relevant book, particularly to the whole "occupy" movement as it shows how revolutions begin. The new Shanghai is a totally different city, built after 1945.
I enjoyed reading this book and catching a glimpse of the place where my mom was born. Its a very relevant book, particularly to the whole "occupy" movement as it shows how revolutions begin. The new Shanghai is a totally different city, built after 1945.
July 10, 2008
A fascinating history of the development of Shanghai. It's amazing how the city formed, and the politics involved in it's history. It's made me aware of how little I really know of Asian history as well and the kind of role the west has played.
Overall, this was well written, full of interesting details and a vivid narrative style.
Overall, this was well written, full of interesting details and a vivid narrative style.
July 30, 2010
a quick, easy read. history that reads like a trashy novel. smart, sexy smut. unlike most books that cover the period of chinese history from the first opium war to the successful rise of the CCP and PLA, this book tells the story through a lens pointed squarely at shanghai. definitely a refreshing and specific perspective.
April 3, 2014
An interesting history of Shanghai and China, this book was a little difficult to follow. It wasn't presented in a strict, chronological order, nor did it follow one person or family, and as such, it lacked continuity. I really enjoyed the history presented, but so many of the names were so similar, that it was a bit confusing at times.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews