Maze Of The Public Garden eBook

Did the "No Chinese or Dogs Allowed" sign ever exist? How did China's first modern park come into being? A perplexing legal case gave birth to a park with a legendary history...This novel recounts the 150-year story of Gongjia Garden-a park whose legendary origins trace back to the infamous "No Chinese or Dogs Allowed" controversy. Through the author's pen, missionaries, remnants of the Qing and Republican eras, Sino-British mixed-race individuals, Shanghai historians, residents of the Bund's working-class neighborhoods, and children of educated youth returning to Shanghai-each character with an inextricable connection to the park-see their personal destinies intertwined with its history. They bear witness to one another while also becoming microcosms of Shanghai's, and indeed China's, social and historical transformations over a century...Featuring nearly 50 illustrations and drawing upon rare archival materials concerning the iconic "garden regulations," the book's images, annotations, and quotations serve as an extension of its narrative. Together with the stories, they vividly reconstruct the past and present of the Public Garden.