WHAT: "Race to the Future: the Peking-Paris road rally that accelerated the 20th Century", an RASBJ online event featuring author Kassia St. Clair

WHEN: Feb. 21, 2024 Wednesday 7.00-8.00 PM , Beijing time

ABOUT THE EVENT: On June 10, 1907, five cars set off from Peking in a desperate race across two continents. An Italian prince, a French racing driver, a conman and various journalists battle over steep mountain ranges and across the arid vastness of the Gobi Desert. Updates on their progress, sent by telegram, are eagerly devoured by millions globally. Their destination: Paris. More than its many adventures, the Peking-to-Paris provided the impetus for profound change. The world of 1907 is poised between the old and the new: communist regimes will replace imperial ones in China and Russia; the telegraph is transforming modern communication and the car will soon displace the horse. Author Kassia St Clair describes fascinating stories of derring-do (and some cheating) against the backdrop of a geopolitical and technological rush to the future. RASBJ's Melinda Liu will moderate the event.

MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Kassia St Clair is a writer and cultural historian. She specialises in telling gripping stories about the overlooked and the everyday. She is based in London and is Britain's bestselling historian under 40. She's the author of The Secret Lives of Colour, The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History and The Race to the Future, all of which were BBC Radio 4 Books of the Week. She has written for the Economist, the Telegraph, Architectural Digest, Elle Decoration and Wired.

MORE ABOUT THE MODERATOR: Melinda Liu is Newsweek's Beijing Bureau Chief. As part of a small group organised by Britain's then-ambassador, she took part in a commemoration event, held on the grounds of the former British consulate in Kashgar, to mark the 100th anniversary of the original rally.

HOW MUCH: free for members of RASBJ; RMB 50 for members of RAS branches; RMB 100 for non-members. If you experience difficulty paying via Wechat, please try Alipay instead. You can also pay by credit card.

Interested in becoming an RASBJ member? Please sign up at https://rasbj.org/membership​

HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT: Please click "Register" or "I Will Attend" and follow the instructions. After successful registration you'll receive a confirmation email with a link to join the event. If you seem not to have received it, please check your spam folder.

Members of partner RAS branches: Please register at least 72 hours in advance to allow time for membership verification. Check your spam folder to ensure you see all RASBJ emails.

REFUND POLICY: If the organizer cancels the event, registrants will be refunded.