László Hudec: Shanghai’s Master Builder
In celebration of László Hudec’s 131st birthday on January 8, we’re doing a two-part tour of his buildings, the icons and the hidden gems, January 7 and 28. For more information, click here. It’s likely that you know Hudec’s buildings: The I.S.S. Building/Normandie (Wukang Apartments), that red brick beauty ...
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Thanksgiving in Old Shanghai
A service of Thanksgiving. A big turkey dinner, with all the trimmings. A hotly contested football classic. It all sounds very traditional, very American, and so it was: except that this was how Thanksgiving was celebrated by Shanghai’s American community in the 1930s. Thanksgiving Service at Holy ...
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Bookshelf: Rumors from Shanghai with Amy Sommers
In April, the Historic Shanghai Book Club read Rumors from Shanghai, a historical thriller set in 1940s Shanghai, so we sat down with author Amy Sommers to find out more about hidden histories and untold stories, the city as inspiration, surprise discoveries, and more. Get the book: In Shanghai, you can order from ...
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Paul French on “City of Devils”
In May, the Historic Shanghai Book Club read City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir, so ahead of our talk, we sat down with author Paul French to find out more about interwar underworld Shanghai, rumor and gossip, old Shanghai's soundscape, and lots more. Historic Shanghai: What drew you to tell the tale of Jack Riley and ...
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Cicadas: Shanghai’s Summer Song
"All the different kinds of cicada are now in full song .... most noticeable is the longdrawn song of the big black cicada, whose strident screech fills the air for periods of half a minute to a minute at a time, ceases for a while, and then starts again." Arthur de Carle Sowerby, Nature Notes, 1938 The Shanghai Summer ...
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Old Shanghai Eggnog
Oh, how they loved eggnog in old Shanghai. But of course: it was very boozy, very fun, and very rich, which is a pretty apt description for the spirit of old Shanghai. And luckily for us, their recipes survive. So just in time for Christmas partying, we bring you a pair of delightful, delicious 1920s ...
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Inside Old Shanghai’s American Club
Even with decades of unwashed grime and a chipped façade, the Georgian edifice on Fuzhou Road always maintained its grace, unbowed even by the unsavory photographs of crime busts displayed on its stately brick walls in the days when it served as a court. So it’s especially nice to see the onetime American Club getting a ...
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