Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 16/09/2026Looking south down Qianmen St 前门大街 from Zhengyangmen - late 19th century. 192
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 15/09/2026China, 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. 061
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinJonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 14/08/2026My review of historian Michael Dillon’s new book on Shanghai in @asianreviewofbooks.bsky.social asianreviewofbooks.com/shanghai-by-...asianreviewofbooks.com“Shanghai” by Michael DillonMichael 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. 022
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinJonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 22/08/2026My interview with historian Michael Dillon about his new book on Shanghai www.thewirechina.com/2026/08/16/m...thewirechina.comMichael Dillon On Shanghai — China’s Most Dynamic City - The Wire ChinaThe historian talks about Shanghai’s long history as a center of commerce and political turmoil, and its extraordinary modern development. 001
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 22/08/2026My interview with historian Michael Dillon about his new book on Shanghai www.thewirechina.com/2026/08/16/m...thewirechina.comMichael Dillon On Shanghai — China’s Most Dynamic City - The Wire ChinaThe historian talks about Shanghai’s long history as a center of commerce and political turmoil, and its extraordinary modern development. 001
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinThe 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 011
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 14/08/2026My review of historian Michael Dillon’s new book on Shanghai in @asianreviewofbooks.bsky.social asianreviewofbooks.com/shanghai-by-...asianreviewofbooks.com“Shanghai” by Michael DillonMichael 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. 022
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinAsian 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 065
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinPaul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 07/08/2026ChinaRhyming (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.comChinaRhyming (Long Reads) - FH Schiff in the French ConcessionAnother 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... 021
Reposted by Jonathan Chatwineileen chengyin chow @chowleen.bsky.social · 01/08/2025August 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 319170
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 03/08/2026Good 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.ukHow Did We Get Here? - No World Order - 2. The View from Beijing - BBC SoundsThe decade in which China reshaped its relationship with the international system. 021
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 01/08/2026I 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. 000
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 31/07/2026Early 20th C Images from ‘The White Devil in Beijing: Wanderings and Adventures in China’ by the Czech explorer and writer Enrique Vráz. 0141
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinMichael W @michaelwood8.bsky.social · 13/06/2026Another Kangding then-and-now photo series. Jingang monastery in 1925, 1995, 2012 and 2026 1102
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. 020
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 09/06/2026Map of the circular walled city of Shanghai, from from the Shanghai Xianzhi, 1871. 021
Reposted by Jonathan Chatwin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 0101
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinChenchen Zhang 🤦🏻♀️ @chenchenzhang.net · 25/05/2026I 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... 0143
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 23/05/2026My 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 LiuThe ARB's review of Cultural Mavericks by Zheng Liu, a fascinating and in-depth study of the world of China's independent book stores. 032
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinPaul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 15/05/2026Anna Mary Hotchkis RSA (Scottish, 1885-1984) 'Ma Fang Shan, The Pilgrim's Way, Western Hills near Peking' 151
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 13/05/2026Happy birthday to Bruce Chatwin, born May 13th 1940. 051
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinPaul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 08/05/2026English, 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. 0113
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.’ 2104
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 23/04/2026Tongzhou 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 061
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinPaul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 20/04/2026Coal Hill, Peking, c.1920s 051
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinSarah Elizabeth Cox @oispooky.bsky.social · 14/04/2026We 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.ukHistFest 2026 | British LibraryFrom 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 272
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 10/04/2026The 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. 083
Reposted by Jonathan Chatwin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. 0163
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 08/04/2026It seems the Strait of Hormuz is on its way to becoming the nautical equivalent of Schrödinger’s cat 031
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 07/04/2026On 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.ukShanghai - Yale University Press LondonA comprehensive new history of Shanghai, revealing its vital place in Chinese history and politics across the centuries Home to 25 million people, Sha... 010
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinAlice Lilly @aliceolilly.bsky.social · 06/04/2026Losing contact with the Earth for 40 minutes sounds ideal 838167
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 05/04/2026Trump 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. 140
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinAaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 05/04/2026The 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. 14755700116896
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinMaura 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. 084
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 04/04/2026My 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.comShortlist: 2025 Nonfiction Award | China Books ReviewAnnouncing the jury’s shortlist of five books for the Baifang Schell Book Prize: Award for Outstanding Nonfiction Book on China or the Sinophone World. 041
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinJustin @ediparolev.bsky.social · 25/03/2026Sad 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... 79165
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinMichael W @michaelwood8.bsky.social · 28/03/2026In Dali, got my bike, some Yunnan coffee and the route guide … and great weather 😃 1122
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinEllen Arnold @medievalpenguin.bsky.social · 21/03/2026I have a chapter in this volume: "Portable Penguins? On the History of Penguin Eggs" 0179
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinDaniella M. @farsouthhistory.bsky.social · 21/03/2026Officially 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.comAntarctic Materialities | Berghahn BooksIndependent Publishing since 1994 14314
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinJonathan 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.appciggies.app中国卷烟博物馆 · Chinese Cigarette MuseumThe 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... 0246
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.appciggies.app中国卷烟博物馆 · Chinese Cigarette MuseumThe 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... 0246
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.comHow Communism Won China | China Books ReviewThe 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... 011
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 19/03/2026Postcard of the ‘South-east tower of the Tartar city’, or Dongbianmen, 1901, after the Boxer Uprising and arrival of the Eight Nation Alliance. 042
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 13/03/2026Good 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. 000
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinChina Books Review @chinabooksreview.com · 06/03/2026Read Jonathan Chatwin's review essay on Frank Dikötter's Red Dawn Over China: chinabooksreview.com/2026/03/05/h... 142
Reposted by Jonathan ChatwinChina Books Review @chinabooksreview.com · 05/03/2026The 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 032
Jonathan Chatwin @handle.invalid · 05/03/2026My 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.comHow Communism Won China | China Books ReviewThe 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... 011