Soirées, scoops and sniper fire – The story of the original Shanghai press pack

A small plug for an event next week:

The Shanghai Foreign Correspondents’ Club Presents:

Soirées, scoops and sniper fire – The story of the original Shanghai press pack

Paul French

Maya

Wednesday, July 8th, 7pm (talk starts at 7.30pm)

The first foreign journalists in Shanghai were those working for locally-based newspapers like the North China Daily News. But by the 1920s and 30s, large numbers of foreign correspondents had descended on Shanghai and other Chinese cities, providing an unprecedented supply of information about China to the outside world. Many journalists were drawn by Shanghai’s reputation for the high-life, not least the alcohol-fuelled parties of the original Shanghai FCC. But worker unrest, civil war and Japanese invasion could not be ignored: many correspondents became deeply committed to reporting the plight of the Chinese people – following the Nationalist government inland, or making their way up to the Communist-held areas. Some paid for their commitment with their lives, like the Daily Telegraph man shot dead by snipers in Shanghai’s old city, and the Reuters correspondent tortured by the Japanese military. Yet many remained, providing a vivid record of the end of Japanese rule, and ultimately covering the Communist takeover of Shanghai. Paul French, author of Through the Looking Glass – China’s Foreign Journalists from Opium Wars to Mao, will discuss the history of foreign correspondents in Shanghai.

Admission: Members free; Non-members 60 RMB (Free snacks provided)

RSVP: fcc.sfcc@gmail.com by July 7th