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Jonathan Chatwin

@jmchatwin.bsky.social
850 followers 812 following 240 posts

Non-fiction writer. Writes about travel, China, sometimes both simultaneously. ‘The Southern Tour: Deng Xiaoping and the Fight for China’s Future’ (2024). ‘Long Peace Street: A walk in modern China’ (2019) ‘Anywhere Out of the World’ (2012)

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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 16/09/2026
Looking south down Qianmen St 前门大街 from Zhengyangmen - late 19th century.
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 15/09/2026
China, c.1860–70: the road to Gu Shan near Fuzhou, Zhenhai Tower in Guangzhou, visitors at a temple near Suzhou, and a street in Beijing. The first image is now attributed to the Chinese photographer Tung Hing.
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 14/08/2026
My review of historian Michael Dillon’s new book on Shanghai in @asianreviewofbooks.bsky.social asianreviewofbooks.com/shanghai-by-...
asianreviewofbooks.com
“Shanghai” by Michael Dillon
Michael Dillon's "Shanghai" explores the full history of the city, from its origins as a small fishing village to the bustling financial hub of today.
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 22/08/2026
My interview with historian Michael Dillon about his new book on Shanghai www.thewirechina.com/2026/08/16/m...
thewirechina.com
Michael Dillon On Shanghai — China’s Most Dynamic City - The Wire China
The historian talks about Shanghai’s long history as a center of commerce and political turmoil, and its extraordinary modern development.
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 22/08/2026
My interview with historian Michael Dillon about his new book on Shanghai www.thewirechina.com/2026/08/16/m...
thewirechina.com
Michael Dillon On Shanghai — China’s Most Dynamic City - The Wire China
The historian talks about Shanghai’s long history as a center of commerce and political turmoil, and its extraordinary modern development.
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The Wire China @thewirechina.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
"I think Shanghai is certainly much more dynamic than Beijing. Shanghai people would certainly say so." @jmchatwin.bsky.social interviews Michael Dillon (@lauchinainstitute.bsky.social) on his new book "Shanghai: The Story of China’s Most Dynamic City." buff.ly/QTRdK9m
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 14/08/2026
My review of historian Michael Dillon’s new book on Shanghai in @asianreviewofbooks.bsky.social asianreviewofbooks.com/shanghai-by-...
asianreviewofbooks.com
“Shanghai” by Michael Dillon
Michael Dillon's "Shanghai" explores the full history of the city, from its origins as a small fishing village to the bustling financial hub of today.
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Asian Review of Books @asianreviewofbooks.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
📰 Today in the ARB: Jonathan Chatwin reviews “Shanghai” by Michael Dillon @yalebooks.bsky.social buff.ly/pxKSXU3
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Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
ChinaRhyming (Long Reads) - FH Schiff in the French Concession Another occasional post some of a longer pieces from my blog, chinarhyming.com. This one a small slice of the life of the great Shanghailander artist and illustrator Schiff... paulfrench.substack.com/p/chinarhymi...
paulfrench.substack.com
ChinaRhyming (Long Reads) - FH Schiff in the French Concession
Another occasional post some of a longer pieces from my blog, Chinarhyming.com. This one a small slice of the life of the great Shanghailander artist and illustrator Schiff...
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eileen chengyin chow @chowleen.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
August arrives in the dark we are not even asleep and it is here how can it be so late all at once -WS Merwin, Nocturne II from The Shadow of Sirius #everynightapoem
August arrives in the dark
we are not even asleep and it is here with a gust of rain rustling before it
how can it be so late all at once
somewhere the Perseids are falling toward us already at a speed that would
burn us alive if we could believe it
but in the stillness after the rain ends
nothing is to be heard but the drops falling one at a time from the tips of the leaves
into the night and I lie in the dark
listening to what I remember
while the night flies on with us into itself
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 03/08/2026
Good half hour summary of China’s 1990s on BBC Radio 4 today, including, of course, Deng Xiaoping’s Southern Tour: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
bbc.co.uk
How Did We Get Here? - No World Order - 2. The View from Beijing - BBC Sounds
The decade in which China reshaped its relationship with the international system.
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 01/08/2026
I did my PhD in the English Dept at Exeter - awful to see staff subjected to this redundancy process, which seems to have been executed with both incompetence and inhumanity.
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 31/07/2026
Early 20th C Images from ‘The White Devil in Beijing: Wanderings and Adventures in China’ by the Czech explorer and writer Enrique Vráz.
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Michael W @michaelwood8.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Another Kangding then-and-now photo series. Jingang monastery in 1925, 1995, 2012 and 2026
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 10/06/2026
‘Shanghae and its vicinity, showing the relative positions of the forces and places, on 4 April 1854. Storming of the entrenched imperialist camps by British and Americans, from the North China Herald. The affair did not occupy two hours of fighting.’ This was known as the Battle of Muddy Flat.
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 09/06/2026
Map of the circular walled city of Shanghai, from from the Shanghai Xianzhi, 1871.
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利大英 @gblee.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
#photography #China 'A persimmon seller and her client' Tanzhe Temple 潭柘寺 , Beijing. Autumn 1980 📷© @gblee.bsky.social
'A persimmon seller and her client'

Tanzhe Temple 潭柘寺 , Beijing. Autumn 1980

📷© @gblee.bsky.social
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Chenchen Zhang 🤦🏻‍♀️ @chenchenzhang.net · 25/05/2026
I just discovered that my book is available on Kindle and Google Play at a relatively reasonable price (yep no one told me that and I had to find out myself) there's also free sample to read, in case it could be useful play.google.com/store/books/... www.amazon.co.uk/Easting-West...
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 23/05/2026
My review of ‘Cultural Mavericks’, Zheng Liu’s new book on independent bookshops in China, in @asianreviewofbooks.bsky.social asianreviewofbooks.com/cultural-mav...
asianreviewofbooks.com
“Cultural Mavericks: The Business and Politics of Independent Bookselling in China” by Zheng Liu
The ARB's review of Cultural Mavericks by Zheng Liu, a fascinating and in-depth study of the world of China's independent book stores.
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Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Anna Mary Hotchkis RSA (Scottish, 1885-1984) 'Ma Fang Shan, The Pilgrim's Way, Western Hills near Peking'
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 13/05/2026
Happy birthday to Bruce Chatwin, born May 13th 1940.
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 13/05/2026
Camel train, Peking, early 20th century.
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Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
English, Hong Kong-born, Bernard Howell Leach (1887-1979). Attended the Slade and the London School of Art, studied etching under the legendary Frank Brangwyn. Taught and studied art in Japan 1909-1920. In 1918 he visited Peking and produced this soft ground etching of the “Chen mun" (Qianmen) Gate.
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 28/04/2026
‘These fine bronzes were erected by the Jesuits on the walls of the Chinese city about 200 years ago, and although possessing in addition to their scientific uses great merit as works of art, they are quite neglected and unused.’
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 23/04/2026
Tongzhou and environs, ca 1867-79. ‘Travellers to the Capital by the Grand-Canal here leave their Junk and proceed by the paved road to Peking’ 📷: Lai Afong
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Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Coal Hill, Peking, c.1920s
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Sarah Elizabeth Cox @oispooky.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
We still have a few tickets available for this weekend's @histfest.bsky.social at the British Library! Day passes are £35 for all four events, AMAZING £12/18 tiers available for students and general youths!!! Discount if you book both days! SO MUCH GOOD HISTORY: events.bl.uk/events/histf...
events.bl.uk
HistFest 2026 | British Library
From Ancient Greek naval commanders and Egyptian queens to the history of motherhood and LGBTQ+ social histories – this year, we bring you a raft of fascin
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 10/04/2026
The poplars (Populus tomentosa) that produce these seed clusters were planted in the 1960s and 70s when Beijing suffered from such severe dust storms the city was on the brink of desertification. The female trees (which vastly outnumber the male) produce about a kilogram of this white fluff.
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利大英 @gblee.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
#China #archive #photography #filmphotography #35mm #monochrome 'Mount Tai engraving of 1954 Mao Zedong quotation'* Taishan 泰山, May 1980 📷© @gblee.bsky.social *The core force leading our cause is the Communist Party of China. The theoretical foundation guiding our thinking is Marxism-Leninism.
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 08/04/2026
It seems the Strait of Hormuz is on its way to becoming the nautical equivalent of Schrödinger’s cat
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 07/04/2026
Cow with a view
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 07/04/2026
On holiday and desperately trying to distract myself from the mad king, I am thoroughly enjoying Michael Dillon’s new book on Shanghai from @yalepress.bsky.social yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300...
yalebooks.co.uk
Shanghai - Yale University Press London
A comprehensive new history of Shanghai, revealing its vital place in Chinese history and politics across the centuries   Home to 25 million people, Sha...
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Alice Lilly @aliceolilly.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Losing contact with the Earth for 40 minutes sounds ideal
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 05/04/2026
Trump has now reached the banquet scene stage of Macbeth’s mental derangement, obviously mad whilst others call his insanity but a ‘thing of custom’ For mine own good, All causes shall give way. I am in blood Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 05/04/2026
The biggest story in the world right now is that the president of the United States is a demented old man who takes pleasure in torturing and killing people and is committing crimes with impunity. And yet most legacy media outlets are too cowardly to tell it like it is.
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 05/04/2026
Happy Easter from west Wales!
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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
"While Shanghai embodied everything the Communist Party hated — capitalism and imperialism — it also showcased China’s early mastery of modern ways." Andrew Higgins takes a look at preserved and reworked architecture from early 20th-century Shanghai.
nytimes.com
‘City of Parasites’ or ‘Glamorous Metropolis’? China’s Cosmopolitan Contradiction.
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 04/04/2026
My sense was that it hadn’t been a great year for China NF, but this is an excellent shortlist. I recently heard Michael Dobson talk on Shakespeare’s power in Ukraine; Nan Z Da’s book also echoes Jonson’s idea that he was ‘not of an age but for all time’. chinabooksreview.com/2026/04/02/s...
chinabooksreview.com
Shortlist: 2025 Nonfiction Award | China Books Review
Announcing the jury’s shortlist of five books for the Baifang Schell Book Prize: Award for Outstanding Nonfiction Book on China or the Sinophone World.
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Justin @ediparolev.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Sad to see this. My first teapot was a Denby. They’ve been going for over 200 years and employ 500+ people. They’ve launched a #SaveDenby campaign if you want to support or share. www.denbypottery.com/pages/save-d...
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Michael W @michaelwood8.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
In Dali, got my bike, some Yunnan coffee and the route guide … and great weather 😃
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Ellen Arnold @medievalpenguin.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
I have a chapter in this volume: "Portable Penguins? On the History of Penguin Eggs"
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Daniella M. @farsouthhistory.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Officially on the @berghahnbooks.bsky.social website: "Antarctic Materialities," which I co-edited with Ximena Senatore, featuring chapters by @medievalpenguin.bsky.social, @fwinckel.bsky.social, @sarahmpicks.bsky.social and more! #histsci #envhist #polar www.berghahnbooks.com/title/McCahe...
berghahnbooks.com
Antarctic Materialities | Berghahn Books
Independent Publishing since 1994
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 21/03/2026
‘I've been fascinated by Chinese cigarettes for years — the sheer variety of pack artwork, the regional brands, the history embedded in each design. Walking through a Chinese convenience store is like visiting a gallery.’ Have a browse of the Chinese Cigarette Museum: www.ciggies.app
ciggies.app
中国卷烟博物馆 · Chinese Cigarette Museum
The only comprehensive English-language archive of Chinese cigarettes — 3,200+ SKUs across 200+ brands with pack imagery, specs, pricing, and ratings. Browse Zhonghua, Panda, Liqun, Yellow Crane Tower...
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 21/03/2026
‘I've been fascinated by Chinese cigarettes for years — the sheer variety of pack artwork, the regional brands, the history embedded in each design. Walking through a Chinese convenience store is like visiting a gallery.’ Have a browse of the Chinese Cigarette Museum: www.ciggies.app
ciggies.app
中国卷烟博物馆 · Chinese Cigarette Museum
The only comprehensive English-language archive of Chinese cigarettes — 3,200+ SKUs across 200+ brands with pack imagery, specs, pricing, and ratings. Browse Zhonghua, Panda, Liqun, Yellow Crane Tower...
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 19/03/2026
‘Feign, lie, deceive, retreat, hit, run, sabotage; view everything as a means to achieving the end.’ Frank Dikotter on how the CCP prevailed in China’s civil war - long essay by me on his new book in the @chinabooksreview.com chinabooksreview.com/2026/03/05/h...
chinabooksreview.com
How Communism Won China | China Books Review
The CCP presents its victory in 1949 as historical inevitability, hard-won after years of struggle. A new book suggests it had more to do with the Soviets, luck and brutal tactics — but overlooks some...
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 19/03/2026
Postcard of the ‘South-east tower of the Tartar city’, or Dongbianmen, 1901, after the Boxer Uprising and arrival of the Eight Nation Alliance.
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 13/03/2026
Good book post today: Cultural Mavericks by Zheng Liu (on the business and politics of independent bookselling in China) and Parallel Journeys: Eurasian history through Travelers’ Eyes.
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China Books Review @chinabooksreview.com · 06/03/2026
Read Jonathan Chatwin's review essay on Frank Dikötter's Red Dawn Over China: chinabooksreview.com/2026/03/05/h...
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China Books Review @chinabooksreview.com · 05/03/2026
The CCP presents its victory in 1949 as historical inevitability. A new book suggests it had more to do with the Soviets, luck and brutal tactics — but overlooks some other key context. Read Jonathan Chatwin's review of Red Dawn Over China: chinabooksreview.com/2026/03/05/h...
chinabooksreview.com
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Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 05/03/2026
My piece for the China Books Review on how communism won - a long essay on Frank Dikotter’s new book, ‘Red Dawn over China’. chinabooksreview.com/2026/03/05/h...
chinabooksreview.com
How Communism Won China | China Books Review
The CCP presents its victory in 1949 as historical inevitability, hard-won after years of struggle. A new book suggests it had more to do with the Soviets, luck and brutal tactics — but overlooks some...
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