Shanghai: The Story of China’s Most Dynamic City
An online lecture with Professor Michael Dillon, Moderated by Professor Kerry Brown. 15 October 2026 14:00 BST
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.
In this lecture, Professor 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.
Moderator
Kerry Brown is a Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London, an Associate of the Asia Pacific Programme at Chatham House, and co-editor of the Journal of Current Chinese Affairs at the German Institute for Global Affairs. He previously led the China Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including serving at the British Embassy in Beijing. He is the author of nearly 20 books on modern Chinese politics and a frequent commentator for major international media. He is also the Chairman of the RSAA.
