In 1942 Shanghai was a melting pot. The Chinese city, then occupied by the Japanese, had populations of British, French, Russians, German nationals and Jewish refugees all mixing in the same circles. It was a time of huge shortages and great fear, but one woman, a British-educated, young Christian Japanese woman, made it sound an […]
Category: Chinese History
China and the Great War: A symposium – Imperial War Museum London
Event: Wednesday 4 May 2016 at the Imperial War Museum London 9.15 Anne Witchard (University of Westminster) Coffee and Introduction Anne Witchard is Senior Lecturer in the Dept. of English, Linguistics and Cultural Studies at the University of Westminster. She recently published England’s Yellow Peril: Sinophobia and the Great War (Penguin 2015) 9.45 Paul J Bailey […]
An evolution of the Qipao
An evolution of the qipao: rising from the ashes of the Cultural Revolution and onto the catwalk Today, the qipao (also known as the cheongsam) is rarely worn on a daily basis, instead it has become an element of nostalgia, worn during formal events and traditional Chinese weddings. The modern qipao is a short, one-piece […]
Madame Wellington-Koo – Voted best dressed Chinese Woman of 1920s by Vogue
Madame Wellington-Koo was voted best- dressed Chinese Woman of 1920 – 40s by Vogue. She was the wife of a sometime president of China, ambassador and founder signatory of the United Nations, she was widely revered as a representative of Chinese fashion, and in the portrait by Beltran-Masses wears the Manchu style of dress, that […]
Liverpool – The forgotten Shenyang WW II Camp
Liverpool’s iconic St George’s Hall is to host a special exhibition to remember the plight of the prisoners of war from the Second World War. As China and other allied powers hold commemorations to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, an exhibition about a prisoners of war camp in Northeast China […]
The 100K Chinese who assisted Britain in WW1
The forgotten of the forgotten (the lack of capitals in the title is deliberate) is based on the stories and experiences of the World War One Chinese Labour Corps, approximately 140,000 (no one knows the exact figure) of whom worked behind the Allied lines and provided vital logistical support at the tail end of the […]
Artists needed for project inspired by Chinese Labour
Credit: Brooks, Ernest – Men of the Chinese Labour Corps load sacks of oats onto a lorry at Boulogne, supervised by a British officer (12 August 1917) Chinese Arts Space is planning Project New Earth, inspired by the history of the Chinese Labour Corps who served behind the Western Front during WW1: They plan […]
The Secret Life of Chinese Gardens
A special exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum Broadway An exciting new exhibition has opened at the Ashmolean Broadway. Those with an affinity for Chinese art and history will enjoy the minimalist space, cleverly accented with artistic impressions of Chinese gardens. The Secret Life of Chinese Gardens brings together famous artists and their lesser known contemporaries […]
A selection of photos from the Qing Dynasty
A selection of old photographs taken from the Qing dynasty era, the last imperial dynasty of China, from 1644 to 1912. The dynasty spanned just shy of three hundred years with the empire’s territory forming the base of present day China. Two female/hostesses performing Chinese classical music with dancing for their clients. A family photo of […]
Epic journey of Marco Polo
A contemporary re-tracing of Marco Polo’s 13th century journey is the first production from the partnership of Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV and global broadcaster Al Jazeera English. Shot in epic cinematic style by London-based EOS Films and Beijing Energy Media, the three-part series explores the philosophical and historical questions about East and West, then and […]