Author: jonathankaufman

“In vivid detail… examines the little-known history of two extraordinary dynasties.”–The Boston Globe“Not just a brilliant, well-researched, and highly readable book about China’s past, it also reveals the contingencies and ironic twists of fate in China’s modern history.”–LA Review of BooksAn epic, multigenerational story of two rival dynasties who flourished in Shanghai and Hong Kong as … flourished in Shanghai and Hong Kong as twentieth-century China surged into the modern era, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalistShanghai, 1936. The Cathay Hotel, located on the city’s famous waterfront, is one of the most glamorous in the world. Built by Victor Sassoon–billionaire playboy…