Shanghai : the rise and fall of a decadent city /
"Stella Dong's biography of Shanghai explains precisely why a missionary once declared, "If God lets Shanghai endure, he owes an apology to Sodom and Gomorrah." The greatest metropolis in Asia during its heyday - from the turn of the nineteenth century until Mao's army swept...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Corporate Author: | |
| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York :
William Morrow,
2000.
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| Edition: | 1st ed. |
| Subjects: | |
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| Summary: | "Stella Dong's biography of Shanghai explains precisely why a missionary once declared, "If God lets Shanghai endure, he owes an apology to Sodom and Gomorrah." The greatest metropolis in Asia during its heyday - from the turn of the nineteenth century until Mao's army swept away its decadence in 1949 - this corrupt, pleasure mad, and squalor-ridden city combined the exuberant vulgarity of Rio during Mardi Gras with a Wild West lawlessness." "Dong chronicles how a wilderness of swamps was transformed into a dazzling, modern-day Babylon. The sickly sweet smell of opium permeated every lane and side street, and in its myriad fleshpots labored a tragic army of prostitutes and "taxi dancers." Seductive and cruel, Shanghai was no place for the innocent: a powerful criminal underworld controlled the port in league with the city's wealthiest citizens and military satraps. Along with its predatory climate, Shanghai was the most turbulent spot in the Orient, for war, rebellion, and economic disaster were never far from its door."--Jacket. |
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| Item Description: | A duplicate copy of this title was part of the Julio Mario Santo Domingo Collection, but was not retained. Includes index. |
| Physical Description: | xi, 318 p. : ill., maps ; 25 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 295-305) and index. |
| ISBN: | 068815798X |