I was recently interviewed by ABC Radio as part of the Chinese New Year celebrations. Here’s an excerpt from the interview:
Few visitors to Shanghai’s busy Nanjing Road shopping strip would know that four of its early 20th-century department stores were started by Chinese-Australian merchants.
While the names of the stores have changed, all four grand buildings — three of them with art deco features — still stand today.
“A lot of historic architecture from colonial times and the art deco period has been destroyed,” author Peter Hack said.
“I think it’s totally remarkable that they’re still standing in Shanghai.”
