In the 1920s and '30s, Shanghai was known as "The Whore of the Orient," home to gangsters and warlords, nightclubs that never closed, and hotels that supplied heroin with room service. The city became the epitome of glamour, immortalized in books and films. With its bustling, polyglot population of British, Chinese, Americans, French, Germans, Japanese, and White Russians, and with its extremes of poverty and wealth, it appeared to straddle both East and West. By the time the Chinese Communist takeover in 1949 had destroyed the illusion, Shanghai had passed into legend. Here, through firsthand accounts, skillful research, and imaginative reconstruction, Harriet Sergeant brings the city's heyday vividly to life in a captivating account of its rise and fall. Harriet Sergeant is the author of Between the Lines and The Old Sow in the Back Room, which Booklist hailed as an "elegant, emotional, and fascinating portrayal."
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
In a spellbinding portrait of Shanghai in the 1920s and '30s, English writer Sergeant (The Old Sow in the Back Room) digs past the familiar image of a vice-ridden Westernized enclave and uncovers a city of many identities. Her Shanghai is an oasis of native artistic experiment; an unregulated refuge for international business where children worked 14-hour days; the center of China's innovative film industry; and a cosmopolitan magnet that became home to White Russian merchants and aristocrats, Japanese jazz musicians, emigre Iraqi Jews and refugees from Nazi Germany. The sprawling narrative is structured around three traumatic historical episodes: the bloodbath of 1927, when Chiang Kai-shek's troops and his former Communist allies slaughtered each other; the Japanese invasion of Shanghai in 1932, which claimed 14,000 lives; and the 1937 outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War. Sergeant, who has made frequent trips to the city since the end of the Cultural Revolution, interviewed dozens of current and former residents, both foreign and Chinese, and she integrates their colorful stories into her exceptionally vivid, informal chronicle. Photos.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Shipping:
US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 4804051-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # GRP81295438
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Condition: Acceptable. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00046176512
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.2. Seller Inventory # G0719557135I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.2. Seller Inventory # G0719557135I3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.2. Seller Inventory # G0719557135I5N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Missing dust jacket; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.2. Seller Inventory # G0719557135I4N01
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: HPB-Diamond, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
paperback. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Seller Inventory # S_392658965
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. In the 1920s and 1930s Shanghai was called the whore of the Orient, home to gangsters and warlords, where nightclubs never closed and hotels supplied heroin on room service. It became the epitome of glamour, immortalized in books and films. With its bustling population of British, Chinese, Americans, French, Germans, Japanese and White Russians, its extremes of poverty and wealth, it appeared to straddle East and West. By the time the Chinese Communist takeover of 1949 had destroyed the illusion, Shanghai had passed into legend. This portrait of the city in its heyday combines first-hand accounts with extensive research and lively reconstruction. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR002784778
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: Ergodebooks, Houston, TX, U.S.A.
Softcover. Condition: Good. In the 1920s and '30s, Shanghai was known as "The Whore of the Orient," home to gangsters and warlords, nightclubs that never closed, and hotels that supplied heroin with room service. The city became the epitome of glamour, immortalized in books and films. With its bustling, polyglot population of British, Chinese, Americans, French, Germans, Japanese, and White Russians, and with its extremes of poverty and wealth, it appeared to straddle both East and West. By the time the Chinese Communist takeover in 1949 had destroyed the illusion, Shanghai had passed into legend. Here, through firsthand accounts, skillful research, and imaginative reconstruction, Harriet Sergeant brings the city's heyday vividly to life in a captivating account of its rise and fall. Harriet Sergeant is the author of Between the Lines and The Old Sow in the Back Room, which Booklist hailed as an "elegant, emotional, and fascinating portrayal." Seller Inventory # SONG0719557135
Quantity: 1 available