In the midst of ChinaÕs wild rush to modernize, a surprising note of reality arises: Shanghai, it seems, was once modern indeed, a pulsing center of commerce a

"In vivid detail... examines the little-known history of two extraordinary dynasties."--The Boston Globe "Not just a brilliant, well-researched, and highly read

An innovative study of colonialism in China, examining Shanghai's International Settlement as the site of key developments in the Republican period.

"What a fine and illuminating book! Shanghai Splendor is an important and captivating work of scholarship."—David Strand, author of Rickshaw Beijing: City Peo

China has over three hundred distinct styles of music drama, from exorcism theatre to farce, historical romance, and shadow puppetry. This study considers one o