On the evening of Wednesday, February 8, Jonathan Kaufman spoke to an entranced, full room about his recent book, The Last Kings of Shanghai, as part of the two-year Morton E. Ruderman Memorial Lecture Series on The Colors, Cultures and Flavors of the Jews. This lecture was the second of three events in the series this year.
Kaufman told the compelling true story of two wealthy Jewish families, the Sassoons and the Kadoories, who for 175 years stood astride China’s business, economy and politics. Their long journey to prominence included smuggling, family rivalry, political intrigue, and survival, moving from Baghdad to Bombay to Shanghai to London and Hong Kong.
Jonathan Kaufman is a Professor and Director in the School of Journalism. An additional world-wide audience watched the talk via livestream. A lively Q&A session ended the evening.
