Farewell, Tess
Tess Johnston, September 17, 1931 - September 14, 2025 It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of Tess Johnston, our beloved friend, mentor, and co-founder. Tess pioneered the study of pre-1949 Shanghai, beginning at a time when the city’s historic buildings and their stories were ignored, and continuing ...
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Paul French on “City of Devils”
Ahead of our City of Devils tour this Saturday (June 21, 2pm), here's author Paul French talking about the book ~ lots on interwar underworld Shanghai, rumor and gossip, old Shanghai's soundscape, plus some bonus reading recommendations. To book the walk, click here or email info@historic-shanghai.com Historic ...
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Exploring Shanghai’s Literary Heritage: Murder in the Maloo
//by Susan Blumberg-Kason// April 2025 Book Club selection. Paul Bevan, who translated the novel, will join us for the discussion on April 27. To book, click here. Paul Bevan is the one of the most prominent scholars of early 20th-century Shanghai, and it is thanks to his works like A Modern Miscellany and ...
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The Shanghai Paper Hunt
Our April 4 walk takes us to Historic Hongqiao, where Shanghailanders partook in all kinds of outdoor activities, none stranger or more quintessentially Old Shanghai than the Paper Hunt. "In the beginning, as we can well understand, means of recreation were somewhat limited. Indeed, an old resident has described ...
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Memories of Chinese New Year in Old Shanghai
新年快乐！Xin Nian Kuai Le! As we welcome the Year of the Horse in a world of WeChat hongbaos and electronic firecrackers, we wondered: what was Chinese New Year like in Old Shanghai? So we went to the experts: the men and women who grew up here. Here are their memories of Shanghai Chinese New Years past, from the 1930s ...
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The Soong House on Seymour Road: A Pictorial Tour
There are several Soong houses in Shanghai that you can visit, but the modest house on Shaanxi Bei Lu that was the family home for more than a decade is not open to the public. So, for your viewing pleasure, some photos (from our private 2020 visit)! The Soong front door Original tile, front door Just inside ...
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The Kidnapping of Wei Tingrong
By Dan Stein // On July 24, 1929, Wei Tingrong’s chauffeur picked him up at the prestigious Sino-French Bank, where he was the boss. The sophisticated, dapper French-speaking Wei was near the apex of Shanghai Chinese society, with wealth and influence unimaginable for most of his countrymen. Wei Tingrong But just as ...
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