Ep. 193 | Whitey Smith and Early Shanghai Jazz
In a departure from the tried and true formula of other CHP episodes, Laszlo looks at someone who set out to China in search of fame and fortune, Whitey Smith. He found fame amongst the one percent, who were regulars at all the glitzy hotel ballrooms, dance halls, clubs, and dives of the 1920s and 30s Shanghai.
His story isn’t necessarily spectacular and no one wrote him into the history books. But let’s take a break from the usual fare to look at some of the stories going on in the background during the first half of the 20th century. This is one of the good ones I thought.
And thanks to EarnshawBooks.com for bringing Whitey’s story back from the dead. Links below to their website as well as to Andrew Field’s site Shanghai Sojourns. And a timely article from the great (and famous) Paul French on the fate of Shanghai’s New Astor Hotel (mentioned in this episode). Check them out.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Chang Kai-shek | 蒋介石 | 1887-1975, political and military leader during the Republican era |
| Cuī Jiàn | 崔健 | The Father of Chinese Rock, born in 1961 |
| Dù Yuèshēng | 杜月笙 | Green Gang crime boss in Shanghai, lived 1888-1951, a.k.a. Big-Eared Du |
| Empress Dowager Cíxi | 慈禧太后 | 1835-1908, she ran things in China from 1861 to 1908 |
| Hè Lì Jī Qún | 鹤立鸡群 | A crane among chickens...someone who stands out from the crowd |
| Jing An Sì Lu | 静安寺路 | Another name of Bubbling Well Road, near the Jing An Temple |
| Jiu Yī Bā | 九一八 | The Mukden Incident 9-18-1931 |
| Kaiser Kuo / Guō Yíguǎng | 郭怡广 | Popular and beloved host of the venerable and respected Sinica Podcast and all around China Hand. Instrumental in bringing heavy metal music to China in the 90's. |
| Méilóngzhèn Westgate Mall | 梅龙镇 | Mall in Shanghai located on Nanjing West Road near Jiangning Lu. Former location of the Majestic |
| Nanjing Xi Lu | 南京西路 | Nanjing West Road |
| Pujiang Fandian | 浦江饭店 | The New Astor Hotel |
| Qīngdao | 青岛 | Another beautiful coastal city in Shandong |
| Qīnián dé chéngguo | 七年的成果 | Results of seven years |
| Sun Yat-sen | 孙逸仙 | 1866-1925, great revolutionary and Chinese patriot. Called the Father of the Country |
| Sòng Meiling | 宋美龄 | 1898-2003, wife of Chiang Kai-shek and the middle sister of her famous siblings |
| Wuchang Uprising | 武昌起义 | Oct 10 to December 1, 1911, the beginning of Xinhai Revolution. Curtains for the Qing |
| Yongquan Lu | 永泉路 | Bubbling Well Road |
| Yāntái | 烟台 | Beautiful city on the Shandong peninsula |
| Zhīfú | 芝罘 | Also written as Chefoo and Chi-fu, what Yantai used to be called. Now a district of Yantai |
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This is an old topic I thought I'd present now to coincide with the recent release of the interview with the curators of "Clockwork Treasures From China's Forbidden City.