Brilliant to see York PhD student @mrmhurst.bsky.social win the @chinesestudies.bsky.social Early Career Researcher Prize last week for his work on the Hong Kong colonial government migrated archives at Hanslope Park - huge congrats Matthew!

Great to be welcomed so warmly in Whitehall at the Treasury today putting Uk-China relations in historical perspective (not my usual Tuesday!)

The song’s sudden popularity came only two years after the Communist takeover of China in 1949. By that time Yao Li had fled into exile in Hong Kong, but Chen Gexin (pictured) remained in mainland China. He was tragically persecuted for his bourgeois background and died in a labour camp. (6/8)

74 years ago, in March 1951, ‘Rose, Rose I Love You’ (玫瑰玫瑰我愛你), sung by Yao Lee (姚莉, pictured) became the first Chinese record to become a hit in Britain and America. (1/8)

Great to be back at @uobrishistory.bsky.social yesterday to talk to the wonderful Asian History Seminar Group about decolonisation, refugees, Hong Kong and even Tom Hanks at one point... Thanks @bickers.bsky.social, @viviankonghk.bsky.social and @sulinlewis.bsky.social

My favourite thing about this book market find comes on page three: someone has used this newspaper to learn English, perhaps just as the ‘bamboo curtain’ was falling over Cold War Shanghai.

But you might be surprised to learn that the News was subsidised by advertisements from foreign multinationals including HSBC, vodka manufacturers Farimex, and local shops like Follies ‘Home of Fashion’.

Much of what the News published was standard propaganda fare: this Army Day special edition from 1 August 1951 trumpeted the successes of the People’s Liberation Army against American/UN troops in the Korean War

Finding a new home for another ♻️'d #history thread from THAT PLACE... (original stuff from here on - promise...)

Introducing Communist China’s first English-language daily, the Shanghai News #china

Other illustrations show proper young people wearing revolutionary fashions. The text emphasises the health benefits of dance.

Qian is demonstrating a tango. He wears a plain tunic suit (often called a ‘Mao suit’). His partner, also dressed simply, has short hair, as was the revolutionary fashion for women at the time (showing modesty and practicality). They are upright and virtuous, with no suggestion of romance.

Ballroom dancing was an important social activity for Shanghai’s middle and upper classes in the 1930s and 40s. This 1946 guide, also by Qian, showed dancing to be glamorous, romantic and fun. It was also a marker of status, because this ‘modern’ form of dance required teaching, as well as skill.

Please excuse the recycled content from THE OTHER PLACE but my blank Bluesky wall needs some content. And it is #strictly season again, so why not?

Revisiting a book market find: ‘Concise Social Dancing for Beginners, an instructional pamphlet published in Shanghai in 1953: #china #history