WHAT: A book talk by author James Zimmerman about his forthcoming book, The Peking Express: The Bandits Who Stole a Train, Stunned the West, and Broke the Republic of China (worldwide release date April 4, 2023)

WHEN: Saturday, March 11, 2023, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm Beijing standard time

WHERE: Mr. Zimmerman's residence off of Guanghualu in the Central Business District, Beijing. Space is limited to 30 people. Details on location will be provided to registered attendees 48 hours before the event.

MORE ABOUT THE EVENT: The Peking Express is an exciting and fast paced story about China's great train robbery of 1923 -- full of banditry, political intrigue, heroism, and a reflection of the excesses of the Warlord Era in early 20th century China. The crisis, which was covered extensively in newspapers around the world, lasted for six weeks while the bandits moved the hostages across the Shandong countryside with the Chinese army in pursuit. The issues that confronted those in power in 1923 still resonate today: the use of hostage diplomacy for leverage against foreign governments, the scourge of systemic corruption, and the challenges of dealing with poverty and the widening economic divide. The author has lived and worked in Beijing for over 25 years, and previously served four terms as the chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China. For more information about the book, see www.ThePekingExpress.com​. The talk will be moderated by Melinda Liu.

HOW MUCH: RMB 50 for RASBJ members and members of partner RAS branches; RMB 150 for non-members. Drinks and canapés will be served at the event.

HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT: As space is limited, please register early to avoid disappointment! Click "Register" or "I Will Attend" and follow the instructions. After successful registration and payment, you'll receive a confirmation email. If you seem not to have received it, please check your spam folder. If you encounter difficulties in payment with WeChat Pay, you may wish to try Alipay instead.

REFUND POLICY: Attendees will be refunded in full if this event is cancelled by RASBJ. If you cannot attend after having registered, please tell us at communications@rasbj.org so that we can offer your place to others. You will be refunded if others take your place.