Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 2mDelhi - City of Spies by Melanie Singh Hughes - 1954 and 3 newcomers arrive in a city, rife with spies and secrets, amid the fall out from Partition and during the burgeoning Cold War 000
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 6hDiving straight in to Heather Salter’s The Shanghai Agents (Cambridge University Press)….(and love a printed cover and dust jacket!) 030
Reposted by Paul FrenchPete Cowell @cowellhk.bsky.social · 8hAnother absolute triumph by @chinarhyming.bsky.social. Fascinating insights into palace life, people and tumultuous events at the end of one epoch and dawn of several new ones. Quite a tragic tale, but gripping. Was also struck by the Gormenghast comparison. Thoroughly recommended. #BookSky #China 091
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 16hA copy of the China Maritime Customs Service List, Forty-Eighth Issue, Shanghai, Statistical Department of the Inspectorate General of Customs, 1922…. 040
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 23hA few tix left for this in October 23 in London: Join Xiaolu Guo & Paul French at the British Library as they explore how China's imperial past continues to shape its present, drawing on their latest books Everyday Tang and The Last Emperor of China… events.bl.uk/events/dynas...events.bl.ukDynasties in Dialogue: The Tang, the Qing, and China Today | British LibraryJoin acclaimed writers Xiaolu Guo and Paul French for a fascinating conversation exploring how China's imperial past continues to shape its present.Drawing 020
Reposted by Paul FrenchElliott & Thompson @eandtbooks.bsky.social · 14/10/2026Join Xiaolu Guo and Paul French at @britishlibrary.bsky.social as they explore how China's imperial past continues to shape its present, drawing on their latest books #EverydayTang and #TheLastEmperorOfChina. 🎟️23 October: events.bl.uk/events/dynas... @chinarhyming.bsky.social 014
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 14/10/2026October 14 2026 - ChinaRhyming - In the 1920s & 1930s Hope Danby was a familiar name in Peking’s “Foreign Colony”. She knew just about everyone who was anyone, edited and proofread many books, and wrote a few of her own too... paulfrench.substack.com/p/october-14...paulfrench.substack.comOctober 14 2026 - ChinaRhyming - Hope Danby’s In Charming Peking (1930) & Her Beijing LifeIn the 1920s & 1930s Hope Danby was a familiar name in Peking’s “Foreign Colony”. She knew just about everyone who was anyone, edited and proofread many books, and wrote a few of her own too... 040
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 14/10/2026The 2000s and avian flu was periodically swirling around China attracting headlines and McDonalds decided to run this image of “trustworthy/reassuring” chicken!! So enticing…. 030
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 13/10/2026Not the most encouraging initialism in international finance…. Photo from 2004 in Ningbo 030
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 13/10/2026The Former Banque Belge pour l'Étranger also the offices of the Belgian Consulate and Texaco), Jiefang Beilu (formerly Victoria Road in the British Concession and Rue de France in the French Concession), Tianjin, 1921. Now a China Construction Bank branch, photographed here early 2000s. 060
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 12/10/2026The Dalian Hotel, Zhongshan Hotel, 2004, originally the the South Manchuria Railway operated Dairen Yamato Hotel (1914)…. 030
Reposted by Paul FrenchThe Syllabus @the-syllabus.bsky.social · 12/10/2026This piece argues that drained pools, ruined clubs, barricaded enclaves, gang warfare, and human remains recur in J.G. Ballard's fiction because they first appeared in Shanghai's "Badlands." By @chinarhyming.bsky.social in @chinabooksreview.com buff.ly/P2QborZbuff.lyJ. G. Ballard’s Dystopian Shanghai | China Books ReviewHow the English novelist J. G. Ballard’s boyhood in war-torn Shanghai influenced his darkest fiction. 032
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 12/10/2026A deep dive on le Carre’s wild boy Rikki Tarr…. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...podcasts.apple.comThe le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novelsBooks Podcast · Monthly · Exploring the works of John le Carré, each episode looks at a specific novel or an unexplored aspect of his life and work. Join us as we take a deep dive into the world of es... 010
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 12/10/2026Thomas Burke’s City of Encounters, (London: Constable, 1932). The jacket design is by the artist and suffragette Gladys Hynes who was better known as a surrealist painter and contributor to the Omega Workshops. It was included in the exhibition Gladys Hynes: Radical Lives at Charleston at Lewes. 000
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 11/10/2026Neil Paterson’s The China Run had some major fans in 1948. W Somerset Maugham named it his Book of the Year in the New York Times that year as did the novelists HE Bates and Eric Linklater. What was the fuss about? paulfrench.substack.com/p/october-9-... 020
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 11/10/2026Whoever is arranging the revolving wall photo exhibits at the Hong Kong FCC is doing a great job - now they have Katharina Hesse’s often stark yet poetic portraits. On till October 31…. 021
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 11/10/2026Chinese wristwatch featuring a "Friendship" (友谊) dial & Tiananmen Square motif from Zuanshi (Diamond), c.1960s. Zuanshi was a Shanghai-based company that launched in 1958 producing wristwatches & stopwatches. The company closed down in the late 1970s after merging with a Hangzhou watch company. 0101
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 09/10/2026October 9 2026 - ChinaRhyming - The forgotten “biography” of a Scots woman supposedly sailing a China clipper in the tea trade. But is it true? Plus the skinny on Ricki Tarr, a British Library event, Wallis on Kobo and Chinarhyming paulfrench.substack.com/p/october-9-...paulfrench.substack.comOctober 9 2026 - ChinaRhyming - The Incredible (but dubious) Tale of Christian West of Banff, Female Captain of a China Trade Clipper....The forgotten “biography” of a Scots woman supposedly sailing a China clipper in the tea trade. But is it true? Plus the skinny on Ricki Tarr, a British Library event, Wallis on Kobo and Chinarhyming 030
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 08/10/2026BTW: paperback, ebook and audiobook of Her Lotus Year: China, The Roaring Twenties and the Making of Wallis Simpson is now on Kobo…. 000
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Talking with Melinda Liu at the Royal Asiatic Society Beijing about The Last Emperor of China: Twilight in the Forbidden City….. m.youtube.com/watch?v=QC1N...m.youtube.comAuthor Paul French on his new book "The Last Emperor of China", Sept. 16, 2026YouTube video by Royal Asiatic Society Beijing 063
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 07/10/2026This album contains photos of a trip to Nanjing, Hangzhou & Shanghai around 1911 or just after (one photo shows a Coronation float in Shanghai for King George V). You can see the entire album here - chinarhyming.com/2026/10/08/p...chinarhyming.comChina Rhyming » Blog Archive » Photo Album of Nanjing and Shanghai, c.1911 031
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 07/10/2026As people often ask where to get Midnight in Peking in China (& I rarely know!) - it seems Shanghai Foreign Languages Bookstore on Fuzhou Lu has stock…. 040
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Pedder’s Wharf was at the northern end of Pedder Street along the original waterfront (The Praya) in Victoria, Hong Kong. It wxiated drom the 1840s to 1890s names after Lieutenant William Pedder, the first Harbour Master of Hong Kong and first lieutenant of the iron warship Nemesis. 050
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 06/10/2026A panorama of Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong Island, here dubbed the “English Quarter”, c.late 19th century. 0112
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 06/10/2026My thanks to Tina Kanagaratnam of Historic Shanghai who found herself in Hodges Figgis, Ireland’s oldest bookshop, on Dublin’s Dawson Street….and spotted the Last Emperor and Wallis on display…. 020
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 06/10/2026"Trained to Empire, trained to rule the waves... All gone." Back on the Le Carre Cast with a new 2-parter - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Ricki Tarr Declassified. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...podcasts.apple.comTinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Ricki Tarr Declassifed Part 1Podcast Episode · The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels · 5 October · 46min 010
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 05/10/2026The fountain at the Hong Kong Botanic Gardens which stood in the gardens from 1868 until the early 1930s. 0102
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 05/10/2026The marble stupa (pagoda) at the West Yellow Temple (Xihuang Temple, Peking, 1650 by Shunzhi in memory of the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso. This picture c.1910. French label at the bottom reads "Vue d'ensemble de la pagode du Temple jaune" (Overview of the Yellow Temple pagoda). 051
Reposted by Paul FrenchHistory Rage Podcast @historyrage.bsky.social · 05/10/2026HUGE THANKS TO @chinarhyming.bsky.social for joining me to rage about Puyi, China’s last emperor! 👑🇨🇳 We talked about: 📸 Bicycles, cinema & tennis in the Forbidden City ☎️ Puyi’s prank phone calls ❤️ The evidence that he and Wanrong were far more intimate than we’ve been told. #HistoryRage #History 051
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 05/10/2026October 2 2026 - The Last Emperor on the Big Screen amp; Who Was Isabel Ingram...A chance to see the Last Emperor on the big screen, the American angle on life in the Forbidden City, a new series of city histories and recently on ChinaRhyming paulfrench.substack.com/p/october-2-...paulfrench.substack.comOctober 2 2026 - The Last Emperor on the Big Screen & Who Was Isabel Ingram...A chance to see the Last Emperor on the big screen, the American angle on life in the Forbidden City, a new series of city histories and recently on ChinaRhyming.com 130
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 04/10/2026The Last Emperor of China: Twilight of the Forbidden City (Elliot & Thompson) has arrived in Australia!! Spotted in the wild here at Gleebooks in Sydney…. 040
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 04/10/2026A Zoom for anyone who might be interested - October 12 UK time… 150
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Behind Mayfair’s Grand Facades: A Walking Tour of the Hidden Lanes "Such a lovely meandering tour that takes you into some beautiful mews" "We spent five days in Mayfair so far and who knew these places even existed. Thanks for sharing your knowledge & great stories." voicemap.me/tour/london/...voicemap.meBehind Mayfair’s Grand Facades: A Walking Tour of the Hidden Lanes | London self-guided audio tour | VoiceMapUncover mews where servants slept, kings sinned and generals prayed with this self-guided tour of London, the United Kingdom. For the best experience, install the VoiceMap audio guide app with automat... 030
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 04/10/2026WWII American Air Force silk cloth Asia Escape Maps: - Vladivostok, first edition, 1944 - Keijo (Seoul), second edition, 1943 - French Indochina & Central China, second edition, 1943 010
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 03/10/2026Anna May Wong: An Intimate Portrait - Shirley Jennifer Lim brings us a story of tenacity and determination in this lush biography, sure to become the essential account of Anna May Wong's life and legacy. Published by Abrams. 031
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 03/10/2026A 1960 Penguin Special edition of Kuo Ping-chia's (1908-2004) China: New Age and New Outlook (originally published 1956). You can read Kuo's interesting bio, below… 160
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 03/10/2026A piece on writing The Last Emperor of China for Aspects of History…. aspectsofhistory.com/recovering-t...aspectsofhistory.comRecovering the Last Emperor and Empress of China - Aspects of HistoryPaul French discusses how recently discovered diary from an American tutor who lived with Puyi and Wanrong offers an new perspective on the young couple’s marriage and the usual portrayal of China’s l... 030
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 02/10/2026October 2 2026 - ChinaRhyming - Ballard’s Shanghai, the Hongkou Ghetto, 4 Last Emperor locations in Beijing and some events this month.... paulfrench.substack.com/p/october-2-...paulfrench.substack.comOctober 2 2026 - ChinaRhyming - Ballard’s Shanghai, the Hongkou Ghetto and some events this monthOctober - from JG Ballard’s Shanghai to that of the Jewish refugees of WW2; Beijing’s Last Emperor locations, books in Oz & future events 131
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Frederik Logervall’s Embers of War is a detailed study of the end of French colonialism in Indochina and the ensuing liberation struggles that to the mire the United States eventually found itself in losing a war to the Vietcong. 080
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Lovely to visit the beautiful John Sandoe bookshop in Chelsea and thanks to them for being my bookseller at the Chelsea History Festival….. 130
Reposted by Paul FrenchLaurence Westwood @lwestwoodauthor.bsky.social · 01/10/2026#histbookchat Great essay from Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social on the dystopian fiction of J.G. Ballard and war-torn Shanghai! 071
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Dragon dance, Hong Kong, Coronation Day of George VI, May 12 1937 071
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 01/10/2026A piece for That’s mags in China - 4 Last Emperor of China Locations to Visit in Beijing (that aren’t the Forbidden City, which is a bit obvious….) - Zhangwang Hutong; Mao’er Hutong; Dengshikou and; Prince Chun’s Mansion…. www.thatsmags.com/shanghai/pos...thatsmags.com 140
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Late 19th century Chinese silver card case hallmarked for WingNam, Hong Kong, with pierced and repoussé decoration of a dragon amongst clouds. 071
Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Many thanks Foyles, Charing Cross Road….appreciated 030