Shanghai Modern

Shanghai Modern examines the cultural and literary landscape of Shanghai during its golden age in the 1920s and 1930s. The book focuses on how the city became China's hub of modernity through its vibrant print culture, architectural development, and cosmopolitan lifestyle. Lee analyzes key literary figures and texts from the period, particularly the New Sensationalist school of writing that emerged in Shanghai's publishing scene. The study incorporates extensive research on magazines, advertisements, and popular media to reconstruct the cultural atmosphere of the era. The work maps the physical spaces of Shanghai - including its coffee houses, dance halls, and foreign concessions - to demonstrate how urban geography shaped artistic production. Lee draws connections between Shanghai's built environment and the emergence of a distinct metropolitan consciousness in Chinese literature. Through its examination of Shanghai's modernist movement, the book reveals how Chinese intellectuals navigated between Western influences and local traditions to create their own vision of modernity. The cultural dynamics of 1930s Shanghai continue to resonate with questions about globalization and cultural identity in contemporary China.

Readers highlight the book's detailed research and documentation of Shanghai's cultural transformation during 1920s-1940s. Many note the thorough analysis of literature, film, and urban development that shaped the city's modernization. Positives: - Strong integration of literary criticism with social history - Inclusion of period photos and advertisements - Clear connections between Western influences and Chinese cultural shifts - Thorough exploration of cafes, dance halls, and print culture Criticisms: - Dense academic writing style makes it less accessible - Some sections belabor theoretical frameworks - Limited discussion of working class experiences - Too much focus on elite cultural spaces Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (52 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (6 ratings) "Offers rich cultural context but requires patient reading," notes one Goodreads reviewer. An Amazon reviewer states: "The academic tone can be challenging, but the historical details make it worthwhile for serious students of Shanghai history."

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🌟 Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s was nicknamed the "Paris of the East," hosting nearly 60,000 foreigners who helped shape its unique cultural fusion. 🎭 Author Leo Ou-fan Lee drew heavily from his personal collection of rare Chinese magazines and advertisements from the period, many of which had never been analyzed in an academic context before. 🎬 The book reveals how Shanghai's modernist writers were heavily influenced by Hollywood films, which were screened in over 30 movie theaters throughout the city by the 1930s. 🏢 The iconic Peace Hotel (originally the Cathay Hotel), featured prominently in the book, housed the first electric elevator in China and was the tallest building in Shanghai when it opened in 1929. 📚 Many of the modernist literary works discussed in the book were originally published in Shanghai's "Saturday" magazine, which had a peak circulation of 50,000 copies per issue—remarkable for 1930s China.