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Description
As a young American, Harry Hervey dreamt of traveling to Asia. In 1923, he arrived to spend time in Hong Kong, Macao and Guangzhou. His impressions of southern China are lyrical and detailed, atmospheric and informative. From the basement "dives" of Kennedy Town to the private dining rooms of Queen's Road, and Macao's Praia Grande to its fan-tan houses, Hervey is a fascinating flaneur. So too in Guangzhou, a city in tumult, where he encounters those fleeing warlord violence and is granted an audience with Dr Sun Yat-sen. Hervey's impressions of China would stay with him for the rest of his life, not least in his treatment for the 1932 movie Shanghai Express.
"Approaching Canton we were gliding past ugly, ramshackle dwellings and go-downs; grass-thatched house-boats, sampans, junks, and lighters, and millions of roofs that were flung in uneven terraces against the sky.
About the Author
Harry Hervey was born in November 1900 in Beaumont, Texas. In 1923 he got a job as a cruise director traveling through Asia, and this gave him the opportunity to explore a number of countries and cities. The resultant book, Where Strange Gods Call, was called 'extraordinary' by the Chicago Tribune. Today Hervey is best remembered for his screenplays, including Shanghai Express which was filmed in 1931.Paul French, who has introduced and annotated this reprint, was born in London and lived and worked in Shanghai for many years. His book Midnight in Peking was a New York Times bestseller and a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. He lives in London, UK.