RAS STUDIO EVENT
Monday, March 30, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
1oz3, Australian Lifestyle, No. 1 Yueyang Road (function room)
(Opposite Pushkin Monument at the junction of Fenyang, Yueyang, Dongping & Taojiang Roads)
MARK KITTO
Moganshan, Missionaries and a Murder
After a long absence, the name Moganshan has once again entered the lexicon of the international community of Shanghai, especially on a Friday afternoon. The mountain resort built by missionaries a hundred years ago as the city’s summer heat retreat is quietly resuming that role, if now mainly for long weekends, and without the church services. A mere two hour drive from Shanghai, the collection of western style stone houses has hardly changed. Moganshan is a neglected, jaded jewel. And everyone who has discovered the delights of its peace and quiet vows to return.
Mark Kitto, known by many China Hands as the founder and loser of the that’s magazine series, has made Moganshan his family’s home and runs a small coffee shop and restaurant. He has also written a book about the place, and his life there, called China Cuckoo (publication late February 2009).
Mark will talk about the history of Moganshan, the missionaries, and a ‘shocking murder’ that occurred one winter’s night, many years ago. His sources include the North-China Daily News, the venerable precursor of Mark’s own magazines, the memories of his elderly neighbours, and a lucky glance at some secret files.
Cheeky Note: Anyone wishing to ask particularly difficult questions might want to purchase and mug up a copy of China Cuckoo in advance of tonight’s talk. Available on Amazon and at all good bookshops from early March.
ENTRANCE: RMB 30 (RAS members) and RMB 80 (non-members)
To see the pictures of the event, please click here