WHAT: "Tea and WWII History at old the Peking Hotel" features a brief tour of the hotel's historic areas and RAS Shanghai librarian Sven Serrano telling war stories war stories over tea, coffee, or a cocktail

WHEN: Aug. 22, Friday, 4:00-6:00 PM Beijing Time

WHERE: Beijing NUO Hotel (the one-time Peking Hotel) #33 Chang'An Boulevard, Block B, Writer's Bar

MORE ABOUT THE EVENT: Start with a brief tour of the hotel's historic areas; this fabled venue will bear witness to Beijing's official Sept. 3 military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. Sven Serrano's talk will focus on that conflict, especially the December 1944 air faid on Japanese-occupied Hankow by the US 14th Air Force. This raid was the first use of incendiary bombs on a population center; such weapons were unleashed after March 1945 on Japanese cities, resulting in massive destruction. The Hankow raid caused over 40,000 estimated Chinese civilian deaths; coverage of the story was muted in Allied press accounts. The US generals involved in this episode were Joseph Stilwell, Clayton Bissell, Curtis LeMay and, most importantly, AVG founder and 14th Air Force commander Claire Lee Chennault.

MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Sven Serrano has been the Librarian for RAS Shanghai since 2014, and is the custodian for the Longhua Civilian Assembly Center historic site in Shanghai (the setting for the film "Empire of the Sun"). A Californian with an MA from San Francisco State University, he's been a history teacher based in Shanghai since 2008,

HOW MUCH: RMB 180 for members of RASBJ and RAS partner branches; RMB 280 for non-members. This includes one tea/coffee, soft drink or Black Russian cocktail (vodka, Kahlua); attendees additionally can order/pay directly for other items from the menu. You may find payment by Alipay easier than by Wechat; you can also pay by credit card. Seating is limited and RASBJ members enjoy priority as a membership benefit. If the event is fully booked when you register, you'll be added to a waitlist and informed if space becomes available. Sign-ups by those who have not paid by Aug. 19 will be annulled. Regrets in advance if the event is sold out!Are you or a friend 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" by noon on Aug. 18, and follow the instructions. After successful registration you will receive a confirmation email. If you seem not to have received it, please check your spam folder.

Members of partner RAS Branches in London, Shanghai and Hong Kong: Please register By Aug. 17 to allow time for membership verification. You'll receive several RASBJ emails; please check your spam folder to ensure you don't miss any.

REFUND POLICY: Attendees will be refunded in full if the event is cancelled or postponed by RASBJ.