Pathway to Japanese Literature
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Red Ghetto: Here and There in ChinaAuthor: Kunieda Shiro
| Original Title | 赤げっと 支那あちこち |
|---|---|
| Author | 国枝 史郎 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | Embark on a vibrant journey through 1930s China with a Japanese couple whose voyage blends cultural curiosity with wry observation. Departing from Kobe aboard a luxury liner, their passage introduces eccentric fellow travelers—boisterous Americans guzzling liquor, a kimono-clad cotton heir, and a Mexican-Chinese duo whose dancefloor prowess upstages Yankee bravado. Arriving in Shanghai, the "Orient’s premier demon city," neon-lit nights reveal dance halls where boneless tango moves startle and streetwalkers hurl creative insults. Whispers of a secret ladies’ club—where bourgeois women summon handsome men via arrow-pierced notes—add intrigue. Dalian’s colonial contrasts unfold next: opium dens shrouded in eerie lamplight, Russian ballrooms echoing lost aristocracy, and bustling markets where coachmen peddle underworld escapades. Through sharp-eyed vignettes—from Hangzhou’s poetic willow catkins to Port Arthur’s war relics—the narrative captures China’s chaotic allure, where tradition collides with modernity and every alley hums with danger or delight. A tapestry of humor, vice, and fleeting beauty awaits—no passport required. |
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