Event Details

WHEN: Wednesday 12th June, 7pm-8pm ONLINE


WHAT: An online book talk on Zoom with author and longtime China resident Chris Ruffle on his spy novel set in Beijing in 1983, "The Barter Trade," to be published in July. Moderated by Graham Earnshaw.



MORE ABOUT THE EVENT: It's 1983 in Beijing. China has just started to re-open to Western trade after the chaos of the Cultural Revolution. A young Englishman finds himself caught in a dilemma: will his desire for a Chinese girl make him willing to source forbidden technology for her father? And will their relationship be used to lure him into espionage? In this part-love story, part-thriller, Chris Ruffle reveals a China now vanished beneath the veneer of modernisation.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Born in Yorkshire, Chris has spent over 30 years working in Asia. He studied Chinese at Oxford University and Japanese at Sheffield. After graduation, he sold soap in Newcastle, before moving to China with a metal trading company in 1983. He has subsequently worked in finance in Tokyo, Taipei, Edinburgh and Hong Kong and planted a vineyard with Scottish castle in Shandong. His play about the burning of the Summer Palace, Before the Wall, was performed at the National Museum of Scotland in 2019. Author of "A Decent Bottle of Wine in China," a memoir of his establishment of Treaty Port Vineyards, Chris has set his new novel at the beginning of the opening-up era in China's capital, a place of backroom dealings, wild conversations and tech secrets. Chris is married with four children.



HOW MUCH: This online event is free for members of RASBJ; RMB 50 for members of partner RAS branches; RMB 100 for non-members. You may find Alipay easier than WeChat. You can also pay by credit card. Interested in becoming an RASBJ member? Please sign up at https://rasbj.org/membership​​​​

We hope to "see" you there!



HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT: No later than noon on 10th June, please click "Register" or "I will Attend" and follow the instructions. After successful registration and payment, you will receive a confirmation email. If you seem not to have received it, please check your spam folder.



Members of partner RAS Branches: Please register 72 hours in advance to allow time for membership verification. You'll receive three emails from us: the first confirming receipt of your registration request, the second requesting payment, and the third confirming receipt of your payment. Please check your spam folder to ensure you see all RASBJ emails.



REFUND POLICY: Registrants will be refunded only if the organiser/s decide to cancel or postpone the event.

Speakers

  • Chris Ruffle (Speaker)

    Chris Ruffle

    Speaker

    Born in Yorkshire, Chris has spent over 30 years working in Asia. He studied Chinese at Oxford University and Japanese at Sheffield. After graduation, he sold soap in Newcastle, before moving to China with a metal trading company in 1983. He has subsequently worked in finance in Tokyo, Taipei, Edinburgh and Hong Kong and planted a vineyard, with Scottish castle in Shandong. This experience was described in his earlier memoir " A Decent Bottle of Wine in China" (Earnshaw Books, 2015). His play about the burning of the Summer Palace, Before the Wall, was performed at the National Museum of Scotland in 2019. Chris is married with four children.

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  • Graham Earnshaw (Moderator)

    Graham Earnshaw

    Moderator

    Graham Earnshaw is a businessman, writer and musician with many years of experience in the China world. He is Publisher of China Economic Review, Publisher of Earnshaw Books and Managing Partner of South China Media. He has written a number of books, including the travel guide On Your Own in China (1984), Tales of Old Shanghai (2008) and an account of his continuing walk across China, The Great Walk of China (2010). He translated a novel by Louis Cha into English, which was published by Oxford University Press. He has produced a number of albums of his own songs. He speaks Mandarin and Cantonese fluently, and his English is said to be acceptable.

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Community

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