Destination Peking

New York Times bestselling author Paul French (Midnight in Peking) returns to the Chinese capital to tell 18 true stories of fascinating people - many Americans among them - who visited the city in the first half of the 20th century. From the ultra-wealthy Woolworths heiress Barbara Hutton and her husband the Prince Mdivani, to the poor "American girl" Mona Monteith, who worked in the city as a prostitute; from socialite Wallis Simpson and novelist JP Marquand, who held court on the rooftop of the Grand H tel de P kin, to Hollywood screenwriter Harry Hervey, who sought inspiration walking atop the Tartar Wall; from Edgar and Helen Foster Snow - Peking's 'It' couple of 1935 - to Martha Sawyers, who did so much to aid China against Japan in World War II; Destination Peking brings a lost pre-communist era back to life.

Author: Paul French
Publisher: Blacksmith Books
Published: 08/20/2021
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.97lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.40w x 0.80d
ISBN13: 9789887963967
ISBN10: 9887963968
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Historical
- Biography & Autobiography | Criminals & Outlaws
- History | Asia | China

About the Author
Born and currently based in London, Paul French lived and worked in China for many years. After a career as a widely published analyst and commentator on China he is now a full-time author, focusing on China and Asia in the first half of the twentieth century. His true crime book Midnight in Peking was a New York Times Bestseller, a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, a Mystery Writers' of America 'Edgar' award winner for Best Fact Crime, and a Crime Writers' Association (UK) 'Dagger' award for non-fiction. His Kirkus-starred book City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir focuses on the dancehalls, casinos and cabarets of wartime Shanghai. Both Midnight in Peking and City of Devils are being adapted for film and television. French is a regular contributor to publications including the South China Morning Post, Literary Hub, Financial Times Weekend, Mekong Review, CNN, and Crime Reads. His audio drama productions include Death at the Airport: The Plot Against Kim Jong-nam for BBC Radio 4, Peking Noir for BBC Radio 3, and the twelve-part Audible Original, Murders of Old China. He is also co-host of the podcast China...What If?