History Hour

Join us on Thursday 23rd February to learn about The Bandits Who Stole a Train, Stunned the West, and Broke the Republic of China!


James Zimmerman -- veteran Beijing-based lawyer and four-time former AmChamChina chairman -- will talk about his new book: The Peking Express.


It's a colorful account of the 1923 Lincheng Incident, when Shandong bandits staged an audacious attack on a luxury train ferrying passengers from Shanghai to Beijing. The robbery and six-week hostage crisis shone a global spotlight on China's chaotic warlord era. The author argues the incident carries implications even for today. Join him to hear why.


Zimmerman is a well-known figure among foreign journalists in China as a specialist in advising international media on the many complexities of operating in China.


Details

  • Maya Restaurant, Julu Road 568, Grand Plaza Courthouse 2F
  • Thursday 23 February, 6:30pm
  • Entry 50RMB members & news assistants; 150RMB others
  • Incl. snacks + two drinks


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SPEAKER BIO: James Zimmerman is a partner in the Beijing office of Perkins Coie LLP and counsels foreign companies on corporate, transactional, regulatory, litigation, and white collar criminal defense matters in China. He is also four-time former chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce China, and a frequent commentator on US-China relations and other topics. He has lived and worked in China since 1998, and his full bio is here.


REVIEWS FOR THE PEKING EXPRESS


"A gripping account that captivates the reader from beginning to end—an ending that is both climatic and riveting in its description of the horrors and excesses of China's Warlord Era. This is a book that readers will never forget!" -- Lingling Wei, award-winning journalist for Wall Street Journal


"A vivid, exhilarating true story about bandits, kidnapping, forced marches across the countryside, a pursuing Chinese army, diplomatic intrigue, and a cast of rather unique characters in 1923 China — what's not to love!!!" -- Paul French, author of City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir