On the eve of the twentieth century, few places were as exciting as Shanahai. Once a wilderness of swamps, Asia's "Sin City" evolved into a dazzling modern-day Babylon: redolent with the sickly sweet smell of opium;teeming with illicit sex, crime, and poverty; rife with corruption and glamorous wealth. In this vibrant history, Stella Bong follows the rise and fall of the city's booming international port, gateway to China's heartland. In intricate, colorful detail, she examines the misdeeds of its criminal underworld, the passions of its citizens' decadent appetites, and the revolutionary spirit of its many political refugees. Best of all, she captures the essence of the city as if it were a person who had lived a fascinating and tumultuous life.

Acknowledgments

1. The Ugly Daughter Rises

2. Gold in the Yangtze Mud

3. City of Transformations

4. Capitalists, Warlords, and Thieves

5. The Shanghai Massacre

6, Enter the Dwarf Bandits

7. The Lonely Island

8. The Ugly Daughter Repents

Bibliography

Index