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RAS China in Shanghai - Newsletter Vol 3 No 1 – January 2012 4 JANUARY EVENTS…… NORTH KOREA, a highly topical subject in recent times, will welcome in 2012 in the RAS Lecture programme. Simon Cockerell a veteran of ten years of travel to this country will be the presenter on Tuesday 10 th January at 7pm. Owing to the holidays on both ends RAS Modern Chinese History Study Group will meet on Monday, 9 th January only – details below. February will see us return to the regular schedule of the 2 nd and 4 th Monday of each month. RAS Film Club will meet on Sunday, 15 th January to view Suzhou River - details below. We will have our first meeting of the new RAS Book Club under Sandy Strand’s leadership on Monday 16 th January (the third Monday of each month, where possible). Midnight in Peking by Paul French will be the subject, with Paul in attendance of this book club discussion – details below. We wish you a very happy New Year for the start of 2012 and look forward to welcoming in the Year of the Dragon later in the month. RAS MODERN CHINESE HISTORY STUDY GROUP Due to holidays please note NEW DATE for JANUARY 6.30pm will start promptly at 7pm CHANGE of VENUE: Melange Oasis, Jiashan Market Shanxi Nan Road Lane 550 No. 37 Building D The Modern Chinese History Study Group continues to meet on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month at 7:00 pm. There are occasional exceptions due to holidays so please check the website for updates. We have a lively group of history buffs as well as newbies to China and everything in between, who watch an hour DVD lecture and then discuss the issues covered in the lecture. At our current venue, Melange Oasis, we can order dinner, drinks, or snacks. (See website for address and map). A recent RAS lecture by Lynne Joiner about her book, "Honorable Survivor" chronicling the life of John Service, dovetailed nicely with our current topic and many history group members attended the lecture. John Service was an American diplomat who was deeply involved in China during the WWII era and the Civil War between the Nationalists and the Communists. Members are invited to join Study Group lectures at any time. RSVP is essential as space is limited. Further details and RSVP to: studygroup@royalasiaticsociety.org.cn Michelle Blumenthal NB: FOR FEBRUARY …… 25 th - Francesca Tarocco Modernizing the Dharma: Shanghai and Buddhism in the Interwar Period MONDAY - 9 th January The lecture topics for this session are: Lecture 16 - Socialist Transformation 1953 - 1957 Lecture 17 - Cracks in the Monolith 1957 - 1958 Katie Baker
RAS FILM CLUB at Chai Bites Embankment Building, Ground Floor 410C North Suzhou Road 3 rd Sunday of the month 15 th January – 6.00pm film starts promptly at 6.30pm RSVP is essential as space is limited filmclub@royalasiaticsociety.org.cn Suzhou He, 2000 “Suzhou River” Directed by Lou Ye Produced by Nai An and Philippe Bober Written by Lou Ye Cast: Zhou Xun (Moudan/Meimei), Jia Hongsheng (Mardar) Mandarin with English subtitles Paris Film Festival, 2000 Grand Prix and Best Actress (Zhou Xun) Rotterdam Film Festival, 2000 Tiger Award Viennale, 2000, FIPRESCI Award "for its realistic and documentary approach to thriller conventions, and its expressive use of narrative and cinematic structure". Fantasporto, 2002, Critics Award FULL DETAILS: on our website RAS FILM CLUB LAST MONTH… we saw Jiang Wen’s Guizi Lai Le or “Devils on the Doorstep”, a film that we all agreed is a complex and intelligent interpretation of the effects of wars. Set at the close of the Japanese occupation of China and filmed in black and white, members’ comments confirmed that it is both a comedy and a tragedy, rendered with historical accuracy and shockingly incisive on the ruin that war can bring. Particularly impressive was the lead performance of Jiang Wen who appears in almost every scene as well as directing. He is thoroughly convincing as he moves through the story, battered by his experiences. The final dramatic scene was cause for discussion and whilst some of the audience were disturbed by the violence in the latter part of the movie, others felt that it was pitched at a level necessary for the intent of the movie. From the comments I received it was another satisfying meeting. THIS MONTH… continuing our exploration, the film for January is Lou Ye’s Suzhou He or “Suzhou River”. Like “Devils on the Doorstep”, it was made in 2000 but is very different in form and content. Firmly set in Shanghai and filmed largely with a handheld camera, it is a multi-layered love story that has been compared to Hitchcock’s Vertigo and Wong Kar-Wai’s Chungking Express but is also a reinvention of the ghost story. Another award-winning movie by a director who has made several banned in China movies (the last being Summer Palace), it gives us a very different look at contemporary Chinese film. Book early to avoid disappointment. Happy New Year! THE FILM CLUB WANTS YOUR INPUT… There are a huge number of Chinese movies worth watching and deciding on a programme of films raises an array of possibilities as to where to draw the parameters of what we screen. From time to time we will ask members to give us their opinion on whether a particular category of film should be excluded or included from consideration. Thank you for the responses you sent last month that told me you would like to concentrate on Mainland films, supplemented by other Chinese language films that are significant to the genre. This month we are posing the third question: DO WE WANT TO INCLUDE DOCUMENTARY FILMS? China is considered to have made a huge contribution internationally to this genre of film. Prolific in China, it would be possible to have a club dedicated just to documentary. Email your opinion to filmclub@royalasiaticsociety.org.cn Linda Johnson 5 5
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Royal Asiatic Society China in Shanghai

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