Cloak and Dagger in China, Part 1

This is the first in a series of articles on clandestine work carried out in China and the Far East by the British Special Operations Executive during World War Two. … Continue Reading →

Military Attache: Witness to Carnage

American Colonel William Mayer lived and worked in China from the 1920s to the mid-1940s, making him the archetypal old China hand. Luckily, one of the results of his quarter-century-long stay in … Continue Reading →

Photos from the Front

  This article by Marine Cabos was first carried on the great Photography of China website. It is reproduced here with their kind permission. Sha Fei (1912-1950) – literaly “sand flying” … Continue Reading →

Soaring Dragon

For Roy Grinnell, one of the world’s leading aviation artists, the air war over China in the 1930s and 1940s has been a favorite subject for years. We’re proud to … Continue Reading →

China’s National Anthem: A Product of War

Among the national anthems of this world, China’s is one of the most stirring, and it’s heard increasingly when the country’s athtletes win at international events or its leaders go … Continue Reading →

Knights of the Air (II)

In the previous post, we introduced aviation artist Jim Laurier. With his kind permission, we bring you some more examples of his work, from the China and Pacific theatres of … Continue Reading →

Knights of the Air (I)

Jim Laurier, a native of New England, has created some of the most amazing aviation art in existence, and luckily for those with an interest in the war in China, … Continue Reading →

64 Seconds in Hell

What was it like to be a Chinese or Japanese soldier fighting for one’s life in and around Shanghai in the fall of 1937? No one who wasn’t actually there … Continue Reading →

Taierzhuang!

Below are photos and excerpts from an article about the 1938 battle of Taierzhuang, based on a visit to the Chinese city. Written by G. Joekull Gislason, a Sinophile from … Continue Reading →

‘Moving and Fluent Narrative’: Chinese WW2 Periodical Reviews ‘Shanghai 1937’

Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze by Peter Harmsen is “a moving and fluent narrative which describes a desperate and bitter battle in vivid prose.” That’s according to the influential … Continue Reading →