skip to product information
1 of 1

gentle books » Non Fiction

Champions Day: The End of Old Shanghai, James Carter

Champions Day: The End of Old Shanghai, James Carter

2020

regular price HK$80.00
regular price sale price HK$80.00
sale sold

hardcover | like new

How a single day revealed the history and foreshadowed the future of Shanghai.

It is November 12, 1941, and the world is at war. In Shanghai, just weeks before Pearl Harbor, thousands celebrate the birthday of China’s founding father, Sun Yat-sen, in a new city center built to challenge European imperialism. Across town, crowds of Shanghai residents from all walks of life attend the funeral of China’s wealthiest woman, the Chinese-French widow of a Baghdadi Jewish businessman whose death was symbolic of the passing of a generation that had seen Shanghai’s rise to global prominence. But it is the racetrack that attracts the largest crowd of all. At the center of the International Settlement, the heart of Western colonization―but also of Chinese progressivism, art, commerce, cosmopolitanism, and celebrity―Champions Day unfolds, drawing tens of thousands of Chinese spectators and Europeans alike to bet on the horses.

In a sharp and lively snapshot of the day’s events, James Carter recaptures the complex history of Old Shanghai. Champions Day is a kaleidoscopic portrait of city poised for revolution.

53 illustrations

about delivery & pick-up

we offer the following delivery options:

  • domestic shipping
  • SF Express pay-by-receiver, and
  • local pick-up.

pick-up options are limited to book orders at the moment. if you select local pick-up (books only) at checkout, you can pick up your books at our next event! we'll be in touch to confirm your pick-up details.

view full details

about gentle books

gentle books hopes to build a circular book economy and nurture the community of readers here in Hong Kong.

a women-led business founded by book-lovers, the brand believes that books don’t belong in landfill - books deserve to be read! gentle books is a social enterprise that commits 20% of its profits to literacy and education-based NGOs. 

follow us on ig