STARTING POINT: LOBBY, ASTOR HOUSE (PUJIANG) HOTEL, 15 HUANGPU ROAD
Peter Hibbard will be leading a walking tour for RAS members to raise funds for the establishment of the new RAS library on January 19th.
The magnificent former RAS library collection, which is now safely housed in the Bibiloteca at Xujiahui, had as its core a collection purchased by public donation from one of its early Council members, Dr. Alexander Wylie, in 1868. With a sense of déjà vu some 140 years on we are presented with a similar set of circumstances as Mike Nethercott (RAS Vice President) and Dr. Liu Wei (former RAS Vice President and current Council member) have dug deep into their pockets to secure 79 precious volumes of the RAS North China Branch (Shanghai) Journals dating from 1859 to 1948 that the Society wishes to purchase to form the nucleus of its new collection.
Peter’s walk and commentary will highlight the early development of the RAS and its former home in the ‘Waitanyuan’ and neighbouring areas, as well as looking back at the lively history of those areas themselves. With the kind courtesy of the RockBund project we will be allowed special access to view the interior of the former RAS building. The tour will terminate atop the post office building, with its fine postal museum, at the junction of North Suzhou Road and North Sichuan Road.
THE TOUR WILL TAKE AROUND 2.5 HOURS AND WILL BE STRICTLY LIMITED TO 20 PARTICIPANTS ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS.
PLEASE RSVP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO ENSURE YOUR PLACE.
A MINIMUM DONATION OF RMB 100 PERSON IS SUGGESTED - ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO OUR LIBRARY FUND.