Shanghai: The Story of China’s Most Dynamic City
An online lecture with Michael Dillon
15 October 2026 14:00 BST Online
Home to 25 million people, Shanghai is the most populous and wealthiest city in China. A meeting point between China and the wider world, the city has become the beating heart of Chinese capitalism, a place of initiative, confidence, and forward thinking. It is a city of stark contradictions, suffused with both extreme wealth and poverty, luxury living, and a highly organised criminal underworld.
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In this lecture, Michael Dillon explores the full history of Shanghai, from its origins as a small fishing village to the bustling financial hub of today.
Michael Dillon is a Professor of History and an affiliate of Kings College London’s Lau China Institute. An expert on modern Chinese history, politics, and society, he is the author of numerous books, including We Need to Talk About Xi, a history of modern China, and biographies of Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping. His research expertise includes historical and contemporary Xinjiang; Hui Muslims; ethnic minorities in China; China’s relations with Central Asia and Chinese border issues.
A comprehensive new history of Shanghai, revealing its vital place in Chinese history and politics across the centuries. The city has been central to some of the most turbulent events in China’s modern history, from the British and French colonial concessions of the nineteenth century, to the birth of the Chinese Communist Party and its vital role in Chinese economics and politics today. Shanghai is a fascinating portrait of China’s most dynamic city – and explores its future role in the country’s development.
Published by Yale University Press London, you can purchase your copy here.
