Paul French
@chinarhyming.bsky.social
Author, historian, maker of books and radio - Midnight in Peking, City of Devils, Murders of Old China, Peking Noir, The Defectors, Her Lotus Year. Return to the City of Darkness - Kowloon Walled City on BBC R3 Feb 15. Agent - Aitken-Alexander
A mule litter fording a stream near Weihaiwei (Weihai), c.1908. This photograph was probably taken by Reginald Johnston, then assistant commissioner of Weihaiwei.
February 8, 2026 at 10:41 PM
A mule litter fording a stream near Weihaiwei (Weihai), c.1908. This photograph was probably taken by Reginald Johnston, then assistant commissioner of Weihaiwei.
Bloomsbury Asian Arguments namecheck
Historian @adamtooze.bsky.social selects 'The Southern Tour: Deng Xiaoping & the Fight for China's Future' as one of his book recommendations on @ezraklein.bsky.social's @nytimes.com podcast.
Listen now: https://apple.co/3Mk9DL5
Get your copy: https://bit.ly/3ZN3nyw
#China #USA #Politics 📕
Listen now: https://apple.co/3Mk9DL5
Get your copy: https://bit.ly/3ZN3nyw
#China #USA #Politics 📕
How the World Sees America, With Adam Tooze
Podcast Episode · The Ezra Klein Show · 30/01/2026 · 1h 4m
apple.co
February 8, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Bloomsbury Asian Arguments namecheck
Passing on language cards to a younger generation and finding explanations are needed!!!
February 8, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Passing on language cards to a younger generation and finding explanations are needed!!!
Video wall installation at the Samurai exhibition, British Museum….
February 8, 2026 at 9:54 AM
Video wall installation at the Samurai exhibition, British Museum….
British warships at Weihaiwei (Weihai) harbour, photographed from Liugong Island on the northeastern edge of Shandong Peninsula at the mouth of Weihai Bay. C.1908. Photographed by the Ah Fong Studio of Weihai.
February 8, 2026 at 9:08 AM
British warships at Weihaiwei (Weihai) harbour, photographed from Liugong Island on the northeastern edge of Shandong Peninsula at the mouth of Weihai Bay. C.1908. Photographed by the Ah Fong Studio of Weihai.
Junks at Harbour (undated), by Tong Wong (1948-2012), born in Guangdong, lived in Hong Kong before moving to the US in 1966.
February 7, 2026 at 10:27 PM
Junks at Harbour (undated), by Tong Wong (1948-2012), born in Guangdong, lived in Hong Kong before moving to the US in 1966.
Weekend reading recommendations required? 3 from my CrimeReads Crime and the City this week on Osaka - crimereads.com/crime-and-th...
February 7, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Weekend reading recommendations required? 3 from my CrimeReads Crime and the City this week on Osaka - crimereads.com/crime-and-th...
if any Spanish language readers would like a copy of my book "Medianoche en Pekín" let me know and i’ll post one out to you as I have a few to give away….
February 7, 2026 at 12:27 PM
if any Spanish language readers would like a copy of my book "Medianoche en Pekín" let me know and i’ll post one out to you as I have a few to give away….
The 15th Macao Literary Festival, 5-15 March 2026….
And yes, that’s Camilo Pessanha, the Portuguese symbolist poet who lived, worked and wrote in Macao for much of his life. 2026 is the centenary of his death and he remains buried at Macao’s São Miguel Arcanjo Cemetery.
And yes, that’s Camilo Pessanha, the Portuguese symbolist poet who lived, worked and wrote in Macao for much of his life. 2026 is the centenary of his death and he remains buried at Macao’s São Miguel Arcanjo Cemetery.
February 7, 2026 at 5:24 AM
The 15th Macao Literary Festival, 5-15 March 2026….
And yes, that’s Camilo Pessanha, the Portuguese symbolist poet who lived, worked and wrote in Macao for much of his life. 2026 is the centenary of his death and he remains buried at Macao’s São Miguel Arcanjo Cemetery.
And yes, that’s Camilo Pessanha, the Portuguese symbolist poet who lived, worked and wrote in Macao for much of his life. 2026 is the centenary of his death and he remains buried at Macao’s São Miguel Arcanjo Cemetery.
Hisashi Tenmyouya Football poster for 2006 World Cup. “Samurai” exhibition, British Museum
February 6, 2026 at 11:37 PM
Hisashi Tenmyouya Football poster for 2006 World Cup. “Samurai” exhibition, British Museum
Should you happen to be in Hastings, East Sussex, Orchard Road at the Seadog Pub on Station Road has a great menu and some excellent bao….
February 6, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Should you happen to be in Hastings, East Sussex, Orchard Road at the Seadog Pub on Station Road has a great menu and some excellent bao….
The new Mekong Review is now available! including a piece by me reviewing Emma Pei Yin’s terrific wartime HK novel When Sleeping Women Wake, the rise of Asian-centred historical fiction, & the challenges of being a debut novelist in the 2020s.
You can order a copy: ko-fi.com/mekongreview...
You can order a copy: ko-fi.com/mekongreview...
Visit Mekong Review's Shop!
I've opened a shop. Come take a look!
ko-fi.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:40 AM
The new Mekong Review is now available! including a piece by me reviewing Emma Pei Yin’s terrific wartime HK novel When Sleeping Women Wake, the rise of Asian-centred historical fiction, & the challenges of being a debut novelist in the 2020s.
You can order a copy: ko-fi.com/mekongreview...
You can order a copy: ko-fi.com/mekongreview...
A rare "disaster postcard" of the PS Hankow, a paddle steamer that was gutted by fire in 1906 in HK with the loss of 130 Chinese lives. This postcard was posted from HK in 1907 where it must have been purchased... It shows a large crowd watching the ship burn, along with people inside it!!
February 6, 2026 at 9:27 AM
A rare "disaster postcard" of the PS Hankow, a paddle steamer that was gutted by fire in 1906 in HK with the loss of 130 Chinese lives. This postcard was posted from HK in 1907 where it must have been purchased... It shows a large crowd watching the ship burn, along with people inside it!!
Chinese farmer hoeing, location unknown, c.1910
February 5, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Chinese farmer hoeing, location unknown, c.1910
The new British Museum show covers Samurai in popular culture - most recently of course the multi-award winning reboot of James Clavell’s Shogun and Netflix’s Last Samurai Standing….
February 5, 2026 at 1:13 PM
The new British Museum show covers Samurai in popular culture - most recently of course the multi-award winning reboot of James Clavell’s Shogun and Netflix’s Last Samurai Standing….
the Hong Mong Antiquities Authority has added two structures in the Western District on Hong Kong Island to its collection of preserved and protected monuments: the Main Building of Old Tsan Yuk Maternity Hospital in Sai Ying Pun and Kwong Fook Tsz in Sheung Wan.
www.timeout.com/hong-kong/ne...
www.timeout.com/hong-kong/ne...
2 historic buildings in the Western District have been added to Hong Kong’s declared monuments list
Old Tsan Yuk Maternity Hospital and Kwong Fook Tsz are officially protected! Dive into how these Western District landmarks shaped Hong Kong’s medical past
www.timeout.com
February 5, 2026 at 11:35 AM
the Hong Mong Antiquities Authority has added two structures in the Western District on Hong Kong Island to its collection of preserved and protected monuments: the Main Building of Old Tsan Yuk Maternity Hospital in Sai Ying Pun and Kwong Fook Tsz in Sheung Wan.
www.timeout.com/hong-kong/ne...
www.timeout.com/hong-kong/ne...
Tickets for all events for HKIlF 2026 on sale now including Amitav Ghosh, Hu Anyan, Hernan Diaz, Emma Pei Yin, Lawrence Osborne, Bonnie Tsui& man more. I’ll be talking with John le Carre’s biographer Adam Sisman on
Fri, Mar 6 at the Fringe Club.
www.eventbrite.com/cc/hong-kong...
Fri, Mar 6 at the Fringe Club.
www.eventbrite.com/cc/hong-kong...
Hong Kong International Literary Festival 2026
Inspiring Generations: 25 Years of the HKILF 1 - 8 March, 2026. Stay tuned!
www.eventbrite.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:48 AM
Tickets for all events for HKIlF 2026 on sale now including Amitav Ghosh, Hu Anyan, Hernan Diaz, Emma Pei Yin, Lawrence Osborne, Bonnie Tsui& man more. I’ll be talking with John le Carre’s biographer Adam Sisman on
Fri, Mar 6 at the Fringe Club.
www.eventbrite.com/cc/hong-kong...
Fri, Mar 6 at the Fringe Club.
www.eventbrite.com/cc/hong-kong...
Hong Kong waterfront, a 1909 postcard so the picture is obviously somewhat earlier….
February 4, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Hong Kong waterfront, a 1909 postcard so the picture is obviously somewhat earlier….
The BM's exhibition Samurai is open. One of the most fascinating is of Christian samurai, Hasekura Tsunenaga. In 1613 he led a mission to Madrid and Rome to see Pope Paul V. They arrived in 1615 and he had his portrait painted in silk clothes by the Urbino artist Archita Ricci.
February 4, 2026 at 2:47 PM
The BM's exhibition Samurai is open. One of the most fascinating is of Christian samurai, Hasekura Tsunenaga. In 1613 he led a mission to Madrid and Rome to see Pope Paul V. They arrived in 1615 and he had his portrait painted in silk clothes by the Urbino artist Archita Ricci.
Retelling Wallis Simpson’s adventures in 1920s China with EA Festival’s Joanne Ooi at China Tang at The Dorchester (who are hosting a literary supper club series in partnership with EA Festivals to celebrate their twentieth anniversary)….
February 4, 2026 at 8:11 AM
Retelling Wallis Simpson’s adventures in 1920s China with EA Festival’s Joanne Ooi at China Tang at The Dorchester (who are hosting a literary supper club series in partnership with EA Festivals to celebrate their twentieth anniversary)….
a view of Hong Kong Cricket Club New Pavilion. 1907
February 4, 2026 at 6:52 AM
a view of Hong Kong Cricket Club New Pavilion. 1907
A really great line up for this years Macao Literary Festival in March -
macaudailytimes.com.mo/15th-macau-l...
macaudailytimes.com.mo/15th-macau-l...
15th Macau Literary Festival to feature cinema, theatre, and music
Macau will host the 15th edition of the Macau Literary Festival – The Script Road from March 5 to 15, returning to its historic base at Casa Garden. The annual event has established itself as a platfo...
macaudailytimes.com.mo
February 3, 2026 at 9:54 AM
A really great line up for this years Macao Literary Festival in March -
macaudailytimes.com.mo/15th-macau-l...
macaudailytimes.com.mo/15th-macau-l...
Chinese School (C1964) Watercolour, Hong Kong boats at the port.
February 3, 2026 at 9:11 AM
Chinese School (C1964) Watercolour, Hong Kong boats at the port.
My long read for the South China Morning Post weekend magazine on the refurbishment of the 1928 Modernist Hotel Central, adjacent to Macao’s Senado Square. Once a haunt of gamblers, gangsters, spies, celebrities and Ian Fleming…. www.scmp.com/postmag/cult...
Scandals, shidaiqu and fedora-clad concierges – a Macau institution returns
The grand dame, once a haunt of James Bond author Ian Fleming, has been resurrected by a local who vowed to own it as a boy.
www.scmp.com
February 2, 2026 at 10:07 PM
My long read for the South China Morning Post weekend magazine on the refurbishment of the 1928 Modernist Hotel Central, adjacent to Macao’s Senado Square. Once a haunt of gamblers, gangsters, spies, celebrities and Ian Fleming…. www.scmp.com/postmag/cult...
This fortnight
@crimereads.bsky.social Crime and the City heads to the Japanese port city of Osaka..
crimereads.com/crime-and-th...
@crimereads.bsky.social Crime and the City heads to the Japanese port city of Osaka..
crimereads.com/crime-and-th...
Crime and the City: Osaka
So far in Crime and the City we’ve been to Japan twice – the mega-city of Tokyo and the ancient city (and former capital) of Kyoto. The Tokyo crime world is contemporary and often noir (as well as …
crimereads.com
February 2, 2026 at 3:17 PM
This fortnight
@crimereads.bsky.social Crime and the City heads to the Japanese port city of Osaka..
crimereads.com/crime-and-th...
@crimereads.bsky.social Crime and the City heads to the Japanese port city of Osaka..
crimereads.com/crime-and-th...