A Bookstore to Boggle the Mind

Change comes blindingly fast in today's China. Here is just a small sampling of the new things that appeared in Suzhou during the five years between my previous visit in 2012 and summer 2017:

-- Two new subways, Line 2 and Line 4, adding to the solitary Line 1 from 2012 (with as many as five more lines on the way!).
-- A new light rail line running from the Suzhou New District (SND) to Taihu Lake.
-- A canal-side park with walking paths that encircles the entire city, on either side of the moat.
-- A new Grand Canal Museum near the Wannian Bridge (across from Xumen Gate).
-- A new Museum of Education, occupying the grounds of the Chai Garden.
-- Ke Yuan garden open to the public, opposite the Canglangting (Surging Waves) garden.
-- Multiple, and occasionally massive, new shopping malls and plazas in the SND and SIP.
-- Completion of the Dongfang Zhimen (Gateway to the East) building at Jinji Lake.
-- Countless new restaurants and an increasingly internationalized range of dining options.

And, thanks to a city-sponsored campaign to encourage more book reading, multiple new bookstores and cafe / bookshops, including the cavernous, Taiwan-based Eslite and the multi-level Zizai (Xinhua) Bookstore in the SIP's Phoenix Mall. As wonderful and welcoming as these bookstores are, nothing prepared me for the architectural extravagance and sheer uniqueness of Zhongshuge. 

What appears from its entrance area (above) as a modern but not particularly unusual bookstore quickly gives way inside to an entirely different sort of book-selling space. First, there are the tentacular light curtains, the room darkened, the string lights continuously shifting color:

 
That unusual transitional area hardly prepares the visitor for what lies just ahead, a long, expansive, and decidedly lively space that practically pulsates with decorative shapes and colors. As if to remind shoppers that there are books to be browsed and bought, Zhongshuge provides a profusion of opportunities to sit and turn pages, from a coffee and tea area to chairs to multi-step floor seating areas.

A semi-enclosed children's area toward the back of the store offers a playfully inviting but (thankfully) rather less visually distracting place for parents to introduce their youngsters to the world of books and reading.

The store's proprietors have christened the four main sections of the store with fanciful names: "Sanctuary of Crystal" for the entry area, "Cave of Fireflies" for the room of recommended books and dangling light strings, "Xanadu of Rainbows" for the main book room, and "Palace of Innocence" for the children's books.

Zhongshuge opened in Suzhou on July 13, 2017. The store is located at Su Yue Square, 119 Suzhou Avenue in the Xinghai Square area of the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP). Interestingly, this is the eighth Zhongshuge bookstore in China. Other locations include Beijing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Yangzhou, Songjiang, and Shanghai, and each has its own visually distinctive interior design.
 
First-time visitors to Zhongshuge cannot help but pull out their smartphones and start taking pictures. The store's interior design is so unusual, so eye-catching, one almost forgets that books are displayed there for purchase. Hopefully, Zhongshuge's decor will bring in paying customers and not just gawkers. 

Tongdeli and Tongyili – A Taste of Shanghai’s French Concession in Suzhou

There’s little argument that Shanghai life at its most notorious took place in the 1920s and 1930s, the era of the notorious criminal “Big Ears” Du (Du Yuesheng 杜月笙). Along with “Pockmarked” Huang (Huang Jinrong 黄金荣), and Zhang Xiaolin张啸林 (1877 – 1940), this gangster trio’s infamous Green Gang Triad constituted a Shanghai Mafia, controlling most of the city’s vice trade, from opium and gambling dens to brothels and protection rackets.

While the names of “The Three Tycoons” (三大亨, san daheng) may be recognizable to many Suzhouren and others familiar with Shanghai’s checkered early-twentieth century years, far fewer are likely aware of the mark—still visible today—“Big Ears” Du left on Suzhou’s ancient city.  Yet thanks to Du Yuesheng, a stroll down a couple of parallel, not-so-hidden alleys within a stone’s throw of Guanqian Jie can give you an architectural taste of the French Concession in Shanghai’s International Settlement of the 1920s.

The Suzhou connections actually begin with Du’s mentor, “Pockmarked” Huang. Born in Suzhou to a police detective, Huang’s family relocated to Shanghai five years after their only son’s birth. Apprenticed as a picture-frame maker, the young man soon found himself at age twenty-two following in his father’s footsteps. However, his position as a detective in the French Settlement led him increasingly into contact with the local criminal element even as his crime-solving reputation propelled him upward within the French Concession’s police ranks.

Huang Jinrong 杨金融 (1868 - 1953)

Du Yuesheng 杜月笙 (1888 - 1951)

Zhang Xiaolin 张晓林 (1877 - 1940)

In 1900, Huang Jinrong fashioned his most crucial alliance—he married Lin Guisheng 林桂生, a Suzhounese woman who became his most trusted advisor and helped steer his way into the ranks of criminal stardom. Equally important, it was Suzhou’s Lin Guisheng who recognized the criminal enterprise potential in Du Yuesheng. When “Pockmarked” Huang was arrested in 1924 for angering the military governor of Zhejiang, it was “Big Ears” Du who arranged for his boss’s release.

Lin Guisheng 林桂生

By the late 1920s, Huang had turned over his budding empire to Du. The wealth generated by their criminal network was immense, their profits alone said to have equaled a third of Shanghai city’s total revenue receipts. And it was at this time that “Big Ears” Du put his mark on 1930s Suzhou.

With money to spare, Du Yuesheng set out to create his own unique corner of Suzhou city, a “country home” respite from Shanghai in the nearby ancient city known for its beauty and elegance. To do so, he funded the construction of Suzhou’s first systematic real estate development in the two narrow lanes known today as Tongdeli 同德里 and Tongyili 同益里. What made them most noteworthy, however, was their architectural design; a combination of the then-popular “Minguo” style (which ran from 1912 – 1949) with the European flair of 1930s Shanghai’s French Concession.

Today's French Concession Area in Shanghai

Needless to say, “Big Ears” Du carved out his own little corner of Tongdeli, seen today as a small courtyard-like space about halfway down the alley, with four doors facing one another. For a criminal kingpin like Du, the alley and the two pairs of facing doors in a confined area must have provided more than enough sense of privacy and security from unwanted eyes, ears, and visitors. Other wealthy financiers who plied the fringes of the Shanghai underworld are said to have been Du’s neighbors.

View down the lane, with grapevines covering the pergola overhead

Decorative scroll-work over residents' doors, restored in 2007

 Reputedly the special, four-door alcove occupied by "Big Ears" Du

Facing out toward Wusa Lu; 

another European decorative element above the arbor

Even today, a walk down either lane feels like a walk through a vaguely European variant of Suzhou, from the ornate entrance arch and grape-strung arbor to the restored decorative flourishes atop each doorway in the alley. A local resident informed me that the Suzhou city government still owns many of the buildings; she pays her monthly rent to the city as landlord. Thankfully, the city took major steps in 2007 to renovate and preserve these two unusual and historic streets.

To see Tongdeli and Tongyili, travel to the intersection of Ganjiang Lu and Wusa Lu in the ancient city. As you enter Wusa Lu walking south (away from the Wyndham Hotel across the street on Ganjiang Lu), the entrance into Tongdeli will appear almost immediately on your right. The next right-hand alley entrance, perhaps 30 – 40 meters further south, will put you at the head of Tongyili.

Take a stroll, and imagine yourself hanging out in the French Settlement with the big bosses of the Shanghai Green Triad Gang of the 1930s. But watch out for those armed thugs hired for their bosses’ protection!!

Do you want to read more? Here is some additional information:

Shanghai’s Shadowy “Green Gang”
The three tycoons of gangsters’ Shanghai
Murder, mayhem and money

(Note: This article was previously published online on the Discover Suzhou section of the WeAreSuzhou website, at http://www.wearesuzhou.com/tongdeli-and-tongyili/ . I wish to thank Ms. Esther Thelen, WeAreSuzhou manager and administrator, for allowing me to republish here on the Beautiful Su website.)  

How Suzhou's "Seven-Mile Street" Became "Seven Cats Street"

One of the most renowned and popular ancient streets in Suzhou is Shantang Jie, located just outside the former city walls at Chang Gate (Changmen) and running northwesterly to the foot of Tiger Hill (Huqiu). Along its entire length, Shantang Jie parallels a canal of the same name, excavated in the Tang Dynasty years 825 - 826 under the direction of then-governor Bai Juyi to facilitate more convenient and pleasurable excursions by boat to the Buddhist temples, historical sites, and elevated viewing spots at Tiger Hill.

 The Scenic Waterway of Shantang Canal

Master Bai's Embankment, as it was once called, was built for leisurely outings. Walking the upper half of the ancient road, you can easily romanticize those ancient boats on their raucous way to Huqiu, the well-dressed literati and government officials laughing, drinking, and parading their good fortune while “sing-song girls” pluck stringed instruments and chant poetic songs for their entertainment. Bai himself wrote poetically:

Since the passage to the temple was built,
The road and waterway have become very busy.
By land people come on horseback or on sedans;
On water are boats carrying beautiful ladies.

 Bai Juyi's Temple at Shantang Jie

Over the years, the canal-side lane called Bai’s Embankment assumed a local name that reflected its length: Qi Li, or Seven Li. One Chinese li is equivalent to about 500 meters, so the full length of the road to Tiger Hill measured about 3.5 kilometers, or roughly 2.3 American miles. The official modern name, Shantang Jie, incorporates the characters for “hill” (山) and “dike” or “embankment” (塘) as its two-character representation. Surprisingly, this ancient byway harbors still another, lesser-known name, one not seen yet revealed in plain sight to everyday passersby: Seven Cats Street, or if you prefer, Seven Cats Shantang.

How this came about was simple enough, a product of the Chinese propensity to play on the homophonic sounds and character representations of the language. Nearly 700 years ago, most probably in the waning years of the Yuan Dynasty, a local official and literatus named Liu Bowen made an amusing observation. The character for Chinese distance measurement, li 里, had both the same sound and virtually the same appearance as another li character, 狸. This second li was in fact part of the name for a celebrated breed of Chinese house pet, the lihua cat, 狸花猫 (li hua mao).

 狸花猫, Chinese Lihua Cat

In Liu Bowen’s mind, the transposition must have seemed obvious: the Shantang of Seven Li (Distance) could also be the Shantang of Seven Li (Cats). The next step was simple enough. Seven bluestone cats were carved, each standing perhaps 140 centimeters (55 inches) high, and placed at the Shantang-side crossing point for the canal’s seven ancient bridges. Each cat differed somewhat in appearance, and each stood for an auspicious aspect of life. Beginning at Shantang Jie’s starting point outside of Changmen Gate, the seven cats represent, respectively, cultured virtuosity (at Shantang Bridge), wealth (at Tonggui Bridge), learning (at Xing Bridge), happiness (at Caiyun Bridge), healthy life (at Puji Bridge), blessed fate (at Wangshan Bridge), and fortuitous opportunity (at Xishanmiao Temple Bridge).

 Shantang Bridge - Cultured Virtuosity

Tonggui Bridge - Wealth

Xing Bridge (hidden on left) - Learning

Caiyun Bridge - Happiness

 

Puji Bridge - Healthy Life

 Wangshan Bridge - Blessed Fate

Xishanmiao Temple Bridge - Fortuitous Opportunity

Walking the length of Shantang Jie today, you can still find those seven cat statues, but unfortunately not the original bluestone cats. Those were lost in the 1950s and early 1960s, many simply demolished for their lime content. By popular local request, seven replica cats were installed at those bridges in 2006.

Bai’s Embankment. Qi Li. Shantang Jie. Seven Cats Shantang. Whichever name you prefer, be sure look for those cats when you walk that canal-side lane. Most are readily visible; one or two take a small amount of easy searching. And don’t forget to rub each of their heads for good luck!

(Note: The most distant cat from Changmen, at Xishanmiao Bridge, is located about 250 – 300 meters beyond the gate to Tiger Hill, on the northwestern extension of Shantang Jie. The other six all sit between Changmen and the Tiger Hill entrance area.)

(Note: This article, other than the first paragraph above, was previously published online on the Discover Suzhou section of the WeAreSuzhou website, at www.wearesuzhou.com/stone-cats-shantang-jie/. I wish to thank Ms. Esther Thelen, WeAreSuzhou manager and administrator, for allowing me to republish here on the Beautiful Su website.) 

Beautiful Su Goes to Suzhou!

In April of 2017, we returned for a six-month visit to Suzhou, our first time back since 2012. It was also our first chance to bring Beautiful Su directly to the people and city of Suzhou, whether native Suzhouren, Chinese citizens living and studying in the city, or expatriate foreigners working there.

Our first break in introducing Beautiful Su involved access to local media, specifically the city's main daily newspaper, Suzhou Ribao. Ms. Cai Qing, a bilingual reporter and editor of the paper's once-weekly English-language page, Suzhou Review, interviewed me at length on our first meeting. Her article, published on May 16, was previewed on the paper's first page and printed in full on Page 4. The headline reads: "American Big Uncle Writes Beautiful Suzhou". Big Uncle??

The very next day, we were contacted by a news reporter from Channel 1, Suzhou Broadcast System, resulting in a one-minute report that same evening. The following Monday, May 15, Cai Qing published a second story, this time in English, for that day's Suzhou Review section of the Ribao.

                                    

On Saturday, June 10, I gave the first two of more than a dozen book talks on Beautiful Su. Both were held on the same day, the first one in the afternoon at Zuo Wang Shu Fang bookstore in the SIP, and then in the evening at the Suzhou Bookworm in Shiquan Jie. Despite it having been a rainy day, all 35 copies we had at hand were sold out by that evening. To my surprise, more copies were sold to Suzhou-resident Chinese than to Westerners, a pattern that would continue throughout the summer.

As news spread about the foreigner who had spent eight years researching and writing a general history of Suzhou, and being the first one to do so in over one hundred years (since Reverend Hampden DuBose's pamphlet "Beautiful Soo" in 1911), I was delighted to arrange more book talks around the city. Most were at book shops of various kinds, but others took place in coffee shops and even in English-language-learning centers and clubs. Remarkably, a number of book copies went to parents, who told me that they hoped their children would enhance their English skills by reading a book that challenged their language knowledge while addressing a topic -- their hometown -- that would be of directly personal interest.

Around mid-summer, I was contacted for an interview by a local journalist named David Ramirez who writes for OPEN Magazine, an English-language monthly out of Shanghai. David's Q&A with me resulted in a two-part series published in successive months as his regular monthly column in OPEN.

So many other wonderful things happened this summer because of Beautiful Su. To name just a few of them, I led five different history-oriented walking tours, each one attended by anywhere from a dozen to twenty individuals, focusing respectively, and in order, on Shantang Jie, Xumen Gate / Wannian Bridge, Confucius Temple (Wen Miao) / Canglangting Garden, Panmen Scenic Area / Japanese Customs House, and Twin Pagodas / Tongdeli Alley / Chai Yuan garden (new Museum of Education).

Copies of Beautiful Su were formally donated to the local historical archive office and to the main branch of the Suzhou Library, where the book can now be found in the Library's online catalog. Our six months in Suzhou closed with a guest lecture to China Studies faculty and students at Xi'an Jiaotang-Liverpool University (XJTLU) in the SIP, leading since then to an invitation to contribute an opening chapter to a multi-authored, XJTLU work planned for 2018, tentatively titled China's Urban Transformation: Suzhou in Transition. 

We are planning to return again to Suzhou for the spring and summer of 2018, continue presenting Beautiful Su to interested readers, leading more walking tours, and hopefully speaking at additional venues, including educational institutions as well as book shops. I am particularly hopeful to speak more with high school and college students and introduce them to Suzhou's fascinating and important history.

Beautiful Su Makes It into NYPL Catalog

Late last week, I received the very welcomed word that Beautiful Su had crossed another major distribution hurtle. My book is now officially listed in the catalog of the New York Public Library (NYPL) system, the record accessible via online search at www.nypl.org or via this link.

At present, the book is only available within NYPL at the Chatham Square Branch on East Broadway in Chinatown, but I hope that it will someday be included in collections at such other branches as Flushing (Queens), Sunset Park (Brooklyn), or Mid-Manhattan.

Many thanks to Dana Sagona and Sean Ferguson at the Chatham Square Branch for their efforts in getting Beautiful Su entered into the NYPL catalog. 

"Quiet Spaces in Loud Places"

The Urbanist column in the May 30 - June 12 issue of New York Magazine, titled "Quiet Spaces in Loud Places," writes in its opening paragraph: "Even in the world's most turbulent turfs, a relaxing getaway isn't too far off, be it a quiet cafe tucked between tourist hot spots, a Shinto shrine right off the Times Square of Tokyo, or a basement museum in Shanghai. The article goes on to describe paddleboarding in Dubai, a secret museum in Madrid, rock climbing in Mumbai, a hidden park in Yangon, Myanmar, and several other quiet sites.

Amazingly, included in this handful of exotic locales is one located in Staten Island: The Chinese Scholar's Garden at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens!! The contributing writer, N.D. Austin, wrote (in part), "The New York Chinese Scholar's Garden is totally one of the magical, secret spots of New York City....You feel completely transported to another time, another place."

Perhaps New York Magazine's mention will help address New Yorkers' almost total lack of awareness of this cultural gem. It would be even nicer if some well-off readers stepped up and provided the kind of financial support needed to maintain the garden properly, increase its cultural and program offerings, and generate more traffic to experience the first-ever Chinese classical garden built in the United States by Suzhou craftsmen.    

Book Talk and Signing at Chinese Scholar's Garden, May 14

 

The Chinese Scholar's Garden at Snug Harbor Cultural Center, built by Suzhou craftsmen in 1999, is one of NYC's hidden gems. I'll be doing a book talk and signing there, in the garden, on Saturday, May 14, from 2:00 - 4:00. I will be speaking about how Suzhou-style gardens evolved historically, their underlying design philosophy and principles as illustrated at Snug Harbor, how specific elements of this garden borrow intentionally from various Suzhou World Cultural Heritage gardens, and how aspects of this garden culture still appear in the everyday walk of life in Suzhou today. Hope to see you there.

If you have never visited New York's only traditional Chinese garden, the first ever built in the United States, here is an opportunity not only to see this unique site and learn at the same time about their evolution and even how to "read" and appreciate them. Here below are a few photos I just took yesterday (4/30/16) at the Snug Harbor Chinese Scholar's Garden to whet your appetite.