Conjuring images of luxury, beauty, design and style then tempered by suffering, ugliness, triumph, then ultimately, reality. In a timeless, fascinating read that illuminates so much hidden history in a such a short time. Fundamentally this is a story about Sisters and Family. This New York Times best seller is a perfect gift for the holidays, Hardcover, Mp3 download or for Kindle. Here's a link to the Amazon Kindle Edition.
One of those books you cant put down, Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, is a very insightful and at times educational read about the phenomenon in
Shanghai in the 1930’s. Set
against the backdrop of ‘Paris of the East’ as the Japanese invaded and took control
of the region in the 1930’s. The
life of the Shanghainese was likened to those of Paris at the time. Glamour, style, design and cuisine were
key elements to the life in the City at the time. Lisa See in Shanghai Girls paints the canvas of the beautiful
daughters of a successful merchant, whose greatest worry is where to be on a
weekend night and what to wear.
These girls were a phenomenon at the time, and LeRoy Shields Orchestra
created an international hit in 1930 called ‘Sing Song Girls’ based upon these
beauties and the international sensation it created in Shanghai at the
time.
The Vintage Shanghai photos on this YouTube Video are terrific!
But as the City falls, and
as the Second World War progresses,
the girls are married off to American Chinese and are eventually shipped
to Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, where many immigrants landed at the
time. Their families are killed
off and they are alone. Alone with
no money in a time when women, particularly Chinese women were only property.
Ultimately ending up in Chinatown in Los Angeles at the time of the growth of
the film industry in the 1940’s, the ancient Chinese protocol and culture clash
with the reality of the times and the two great beauties of Shanghai, whose
world is blown up and they must make their way as working class girls.
How appropriate that given Chinas growth and stature as a
nation, that this tale told of the superficiality and shallowness of a pair of
sisters who dwell upon appearance and material gain are stripped of everything
and are left with only their will and determination. Set in a post war California backdrop, cast with a poorly
educated American populace, these two Shanghai girls forge their way in an
intolerant society and illustrate the challenges of women in general, and
particularly immigrant women with no education…..how appropriate parallels can
be drawn to our current times, of a multinational country foraging for a place
in the world society.
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