The Book: “Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China”, by Paul French
A relatively new arrival to Beijing, my highly literate friends lost no time in recommending a hefty pile of history, social criticism, philosophy books, etc. to me. “You need to educate yourself on China,” they insisted, and I agreed. But there is also a limit to how long I can stuff dry terminology, obscure historic names and significant dates in history before my mind stops absorbing it. Then came Paul French. His book turned out to be the history lesson my overworked brain needed. Instead of overwhelming my senses with facts and details, it told the tale of centuries-old Beijing through a murder mystery of sorts. I was drawn into a Beijing I didn't recognize at face value, swiftly reading through about places that were only a train ride away.
Overview
After coming across the story of Pamela Werner, a young Englishwoman murdered in Peking, now Beijing, Paul French decided to dedicate years of effort in uncovering the truth of what had happened to this innocent young woman. Through journalistic investigation, French sifts through police records, news clips, historical references, etc. to uncover the truth and finally solve the murder mystery that came at a time when Beijing was already being plummeted into chaos.
Let's Break It Down
In 1937, a body was found outside Beijing's Fox Tower. Just outside the foreign legations – the areas of the city entirely populated by foreigners and their embassy's representatives – the woman's corpse was a tragic discovery by a retired local out for a morning stroll. From the moment the police arrived, they knew this case would be something utterly different and of a higher caliber importance than other crimes they investigated. Any murder was crucial to solve. That of a foreigner – a young woman, no less – was a top priority. And so the hunt began for Pamela Werner's killer(s).
The book follows the investigation various detectives and officers conducted. It dives into the research her own father committed to resolving the case, and into reports from newspapers that covered the crime in the early 1900s. French spares no details uncovered in the process, and carries the reader along through each discovery or stalemate encountered throughout. Alongside this murder mystery, though, is a rich side story of the state of Beijing at the turn of the century. Through narrative additions, French sheds light on Japanese-Chinese tensions throughout that period, of foreign relations and the circumstances expatriates experienced in China's capital at the time. Through details of more sordid neighborhoods of China's downtown, French also shares cultural revelations: how superstitious local Chinese were, lore and tradition they followed, etc.
My Take
When I moved to Beijing in August 2015, I had relatively no prior education into China's history, political process or current culture. It occurred to me I needed to conduct my own sort of education into this country so I could be a better, more understanding expat-local. In doing so, a close friend recommended Paul French's book.
Just a few days after downloading it to my Kindle, I was “turning” the last few pages, my eyes trained eagerly on the screen. French had taken me down a wild hunt for killers I only have the utmost contempt for, days after reading it. His writing is vivid and captivating. He intertwines historical fact along with speculation from the day as to who could have committed this crime. I finished the book as riveted and affected as if I'd just finished a fiction thriller novel. Upon further reflection, though, I was also far more knowledgeable of Peking's history at the early 20th century. I better understood some of the tangles and bureaucratic messes I've witnessed in my time living here. As an expat-local, I also received a history of what it was to be an expat. In many ways, I think it helped me become more conscientious about the views I took as a visitor to this ancient country, and start to re-shape some of the ideas I'd formed about China's culture.
If You Enjoyed This Read ...
Paul French has also completed a full works looking closer at The Badlands of 20th century Beijing: "The Badlands: More Stories from Midnight in Peking". While I haven't read it yet, it was a cheap additional download – one I expect to be just as enthralling as “Midnight in Peking”
You can order "Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China" at Amazon here.
A relatively new arrival to Beijing, my highly literate friends lost no time in recommending a hefty pile of history, social criticism, philosophy books, etc. to me. “You need to educate yourself on China,” they insisted, and I agreed. But there is also a limit to how long I can stuff dry terminology, obscure historic names and significant dates in history before my mind stops absorbing it. Then came Paul French. His book turned out to be the history lesson my overworked brain needed. Instead of overwhelming my senses with facts and details, it told the tale of centuries-old Beijing through a murder mystery of sorts. I was drawn into a Beijing I didn't recognize at face value, swiftly reading through about places that were only a train ride away.
Overview
After coming across the story of Pamela Werner, a young Englishwoman murdered in Peking, now Beijing, Paul French decided to dedicate years of effort in uncovering the truth of what had happened to this innocent young woman. Through journalistic investigation, French sifts through police records, news clips, historical references, etc. to uncover the truth and finally solve the murder mystery that came at a time when Beijing was already being plummeted into chaos.
Let's Break It Down
In 1937, a body was found outside Beijing's Fox Tower. Just outside the foreign legations – the areas of the city entirely populated by foreigners and their embassy's representatives – the woman's corpse was a tragic discovery by a retired local out for a morning stroll. From the moment the police arrived, they knew this case would be something utterly different and of a higher caliber importance than other crimes they investigated. Any murder was crucial to solve. That of a foreigner – a young woman, no less – was a top priority. And so the hunt began for Pamela Werner's killer(s).
The book follows the investigation various detectives and officers conducted. It dives into the research her own father committed to resolving the case, and into reports from newspapers that covered the crime in the early 1900s. French spares no details uncovered in the process, and carries the reader along through each discovery or stalemate encountered throughout. Alongside this murder mystery, though, is a rich side story of the state of Beijing at the turn of the century. Through narrative additions, French sheds light on Japanese-Chinese tensions throughout that period, of foreign relations and the circumstances expatriates experienced in China's capital at the time. Through details of more sordid neighborhoods of China's downtown, French also shares cultural revelations: how superstitious local Chinese were, lore and tradition they followed, etc.
My Take
When I moved to Beijing in August 2015, I had relatively no prior education into China's history, political process or current culture. It occurred to me I needed to conduct my own sort of education into this country so I could be a better, more understanding expat-local. In doing so, a close friend recommended Paul French's book.
Just a few days after downloading it to my Kindle, I was “turning” the last few pages, my eyes trained eagerly on the screen. French had taken me down a wild hunt for killers I only have the utmost contempt for, days after reading it. His writing is vivid and captivating. He intertwines historical fact along with speculation from the day as to who could have committed this crime. I finished the book as riveted and affected as if I'd just finished a fiction thriller novel. Upon further reflection, though, I was also far more knowledgeable of Peking's history at the early 20th century. I better understood some of the tangles and bureaucratic messes I've witnessed in my time living here. As an expat-local, I also received a history of what it was to be an expat. In many ways, I think it helped me become more conscientious about the views I took as a visitor to this ancient country, and start to re-shape some of the ideas I'd formed about China's culture.
If You Enjoyed This Read ...
Paul French has also completed a full works looking closer at The Badlands of 20th century Beijing: "The Badlands: More Stories from Midnight in Peking". While I haven't read it yet, it was a cheap additional download – one I expect to be just as enthralling as “Midnight in Peking”
You can order "Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China" at Amazon here.