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


HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF SHANGHAI FCC? CLICK HERE​


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 endโ€”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 โ€” what's not to love!!!" -- Paul French, author of City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir