Beijing Postcards Bookclub: A Billion Voices
In 1912, the last emperor of China abdicated. One of the first things the new Republic did was to address the problem of creating a national language in China. The country’s multiple so-called “dialects” were so strong that they were in fact independent languages, with their own grammar and pronunciation.
New Walk: Drama Kings
Not long ago Beijing Opera was the most popular kind of entertainment in China. Even the communists could not ignore its immense popularity, but how is it that a tradition with such widespread appeal has almost disappeared today?
Peking Propaganda: A 1950’s Socialist Docu Soap Starring Former Prostitutes
In 1950, a documentary was made about the closing down of the notorious brothels district Bada Hutong in Beijing. Calling the film a “documentary” is maybe a bit of a stretch, because everything in the fifty-two minute-long film is scripted and pre-arranged. Nobody is acting naturally. The main actresses, however, are actually all former prostitutes of Bada Hutong.
Beijing Postcards Bookclub: The Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer incident is one of the most fascinating, decisive and utterly contradictory events in Beijing’s modern history. Preston’s book is based on source material produced by the foreigners that were besieged inside Beijing’s diplomatic quarter for 55 days in the year 1900.
The Magic Hutong Portal
It was at the end of March that I discovered that foreigners had now become the main health concern in Beijing. Standing outside the checkpoint to Yangmeizhuxiejie…
The City That Disappeared: A Guide To A City Half Awake
Our friend Tom had just written the ultimate guide book on Beijing, but then the city he knew ceased to exist…
Resilient New Cultures under Lockdown
We need Your Stories for Beijing Postcards Oral History Project
We at Beijing Postcards think that fear and anxiety has already had its fair share of documentation. We know that there is a high degree of control and confinement, even a lack of empathy with the people whose businesses have been shot down, but there is also light coming in.
Beijing Postcards Bookclub: The History of A Murder Investigation
Undertaking a police investigation is also a kind of historical research. In the files attention will be directed at small details, habits and routines that are often difficult to connect with through other sources. The Pamela Werner murder case from 1937 is no exception.
The Man Who Wanted to Become Emperor
A little fat guy in an illfitting uniform. You have probably seen pictures of Yuan Shikai: The president of China who wanted to be emperor. Within a few years of his appointment as the first official president of the Republic of China in 1912, Yuan Shikai had lost his belief in the republican project and wanted to go back to the time of the dynasties.
Beijing Postcards BookClub: The Last Days of Old Beijing
Michael Meyer lived for two years in the Dashilar area. He interviewed residents and conducted research in many ways related to the Beijing Postcards project of today. “The Last Days of Old Beijing” is an extremely interesting peek into the world of the Hutongs around Dashilar around the times of the Olympics.