As you will be aware the speaker at our next lecture is Mr. Zhang Jianguo. We are very honoured to have him here and to set the stage for his exclusive presentation for the Society. The story that he will tell is without parallel and begins when a British visitor, who came into China 1980, announced that he was going to Weihaiwei, the place of his birth in 1913. The entry official had never heard of such a place.
And the city authorities themselves had little knowledge of Weihaiwei (Weihai as it was known until 1951) in the early twentieth century when it was annexed as a British leased territory. When the British relinquished control in 1930 they took their archives with them - leaving a massive gap in the city’s historical records. Fortunately the city took on the task of recovering that history. As director of the city archives, Mr. Zhang paid numerous visits to the UK, examining dusty archival materials and building up friendships with many descendants of former Weihai residents and a host of others. One result of this long endeavour, with the assistance of the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU), has been the publication of a fascinating and comprehensive account of that lost history.
We are looking forward to your support in attending this event and in re-establishing Shanghai’s foremost international cultural society. Please tell your friends!
There will be an Rmb 30 charge for RAS members and Rmb 50 charge for non-members for this event to cover the cost of hiring this venue. Chinese tea will be served.
Mr. Zhang’s book Weihaiwei under British Rule will be available for sale at the event.
Mr. Zhang will be delivering his talk in Chinese, and Spencer Dodington has kindly volunteered his services to act as translator.
Peter Hibbard (President) and the RAS Shanghai Branch Council.
24.11.07