In 1930s Shanghai, the sweet sound of slot machines and swinging bands soundtracked the bars and nightclubs of the city’s seedy underworld. Guess where they all came from.

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References:

French, Paul (2018). City of Devils: The Two Men Who Ruled the Underworld of Old Shanghai. Picador.

French, Paul (February 2018). “Gangs of Shanghai.” That’s Shanghai, 40-41.

Guingona, Phillip (2016). “The Sundry Acquaintances of Dr. Albino Z. Sycip: Exploring the Shanghai-Manila Connection, circa 1910-1940.” Journal of World History, 27(1), 27-52. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43901823

Yamomo, Mele (2015). “Brokering sonic modernities: Migrant Manila musicians in the Asia Pacific, 1881-1948.” Popular Entertainment Studies, 6(2), 22-37.

Crow, Carl and Kowalsky, V.V. (1935). “Illustrated Historical Map of Shanghai.” (Map) Norman B. Levinthal Map Center Collection at the Boston Public Library. https://collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commonwealth:x633f974z

Cover photo by Malcolm Rosholt, courtesy of Mei-Fei Elrick and Tess Johnston, University of Bristol - Historical Photographs of China