Beyond the Neon Lights

"China's long record of written history and literature is often noted and rightly treasured, but in fact tells us very little about the daily lives of most people at the time. Hanchao Lu's book fills part of this large gap. From Lu's clear and lively descriptions of Shanghai in the early twentieth century, we learn about the patterns of alleyways, design of row houses, rules for subletting, shapes of door-knockers, springs in rickshaw cushions, calls of hawkers, sidewalk haircuts, factory work, how nightsoil pots were emptied and cleaned, and the responsibility of neighbors to keep their noses in one another's affairs. We understand, in short, the base from which everything else about Shanghai at the time should be understood. A delightful and edifying book." - Perry Link, author of Evening Chats in Beijing"