GOLDEN LILY (SAI JINHUA), THE BOXERS, AND THE OCCUPATION OF BEIJING, 1900
By Dr. Liu Wei
Tuesday December 9, 2008, 7pm (refreshments), 7.30pm (talk)
Figaro Coffee Shop, 2nd floor. 160 Xingye Road, Xintiandi
We are pleased to welcome RAS Honorary Vice-President Dr. Liu Wei to deliver a talk on the Occupation of Beijing in1900 by the coalition forces of Germany, Britain, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, the United States and Japan—and one Chinese woman who, by an extraordinary turn of events, joined the ad hoc government of Beijing.
Golden Lily (Sai Jinhua) started her career as a sing-song girl. After marrying one of China’s first professional diplomats, she became the wife of China’s Ambassador to Berlin. Following her husband’s death, she resumed her earlier career successfully in both Shanghai and Beijing, before being caught in the eye of the storm.
The talk will be accompanied by a 30-minute documentary (with English subtitles) made by Liu Wei.
Dr. Liu Wei is one of the individuals who helped re-establish the RAS in China in 2006. He serves as the Director of Long Island University’s China Center and Associate Professor in history and politics at Zhejiang University. He is the author of A History of Modern International Relations (Zhejiang, 2004), and a major contributor to Environmental Argument and Cultural Difference (Oxford, 2008) and European civilization: A History of Conflict and Integration (Guizhou, 2001). He writes regularly for The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society in London. Dr. Liu worked as a presenter and documentary film producer for Central China Television (CCTV) from 1994-2002, and continues his on-screen career today on a freelance basis.
ENTRANCE: 30 Rmb for members, 80 Rmb for guests – includes tea or coffee.