We are delighted to invite our members and friends to this special Double Event: the launch of the China Monograph Series, published by Hong Kong University Press, followed by Lindsay Shen, author of the second book in the series, who will give a presentation on Florence Ayscough, the first NCBRAS Honorary Librarian. It is fitting that after Lindsay's talk, we will then gather for the Official Opening of the new RAS Library.
Please join us to celebrate these two important occasions.
PROGRAMME
4:00pm Registration
4:30pm Lindsay Shen - Presentation
5:30pm Reception
6:00pm Official Opening of RAS Library
PRIORITY BOOKING for Members until 24th October 2012
ABOUT THE BOOK
Love in the Library: Florence Ayscough and the North ChinaBranch of the Royal Asiatic Society (Lindsay Shen)Born into wealth and privilege in Concession-era Shanghai, Florence Ayscough was far from the stereotypical Shanghailander. Writer, poetry translator, art collector and gardener, Ayscough was to become a highly respected interpreter of Chinese culture to the west. While her life in Shanghai encompassed the typical landmarks of Shanghailander life such as the Country Club, the Paper Hunt, the Race Course and the Astor House Hotel, it also revolved around the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, which elected her its first woman Honorary Member.
The Society's librarian from 1908-1923, she built the library into one of the finest on the China Coast. Her second husband fell in love with her there, between the card catalogue and the bookshelves.
Join Lindsay Shen in an exploration into the life of this talented, multi-faceted woman who impacted the way the West understood China.
Lindsay Shen is the author of Knowledge is Pleasure: Florence Ayscough in Shanghai, published by Hong Kong University Press, as one of the two first titles in the series China Monographs from the Royal Asiatic Society Shanghai.