1/ Currently researching the career of Percy Chen, the enigmatic HK lawyer for the PRC during the Cold War. The Afro-Asian Chen family of Trinidad stood at the intersection of European empires, Chinese nationalism, and Cold War politics. A thread about this fascinating family. 2/ Matriach Alphonsine Agatha Gantheaume was a French Creole whose maternal family were former slaves and paternal family were the largest landowners on the island. She raised their 4 children, endured her husband's long absences, and passed away relatively young around 48.

1/ Ezra Vogel’s works have enjoyed wide-ranging and enduring influence. But two of his books were especially helpful to my book on smuggling in China—"One Step Ahead in China” and “Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China.” A thread on the influence of his work on my work. 2/ Smuggling was not his main concern, but Vogel in both books showed how it was a serious problem in the 1980s. Economic reforms stimulated the illicit traffic in watches, TVs, stereos, VCRs, and even cars, depriving the government much-needed revenues and fostering corruption.

1/ The #KoreanWar killed millions of Koreans, created an enduring division, and destroyed a relatively developed economy that survived the ravages of WWII. But the war’s impact reverberated beyond the peninsula. A thread about its global consequences on its 70th anniversary. 2/ The war killed almost 40k Americans. At home, it stirred widespread anti-Communist fears and emboldened Republican critics of the Truman administration. It also led to the adoption of NSC-68, which dramatically expanded the US military and globalized containment strategy.

1/ Cancellation of 2020 @SHAFRConference was disappointing but necessary. At the encouragement of organizers, panelists are making their abstracts and presentations available online. Here is a (long) thread on my paper "Vice City: Hong Kong in the Anglo-American War on Drugs." 2/ My paper explores the local consequences of a global campaign. HK was ceded to UK in 1842 after the First Opium War and became an entrepôt for Chinese trade. By 1970s it remained a UK colony but transformed itself into a tourism center and a major exporter.

1/ Tariffs have dominated recent news on US-China trade war. But they have always been pivotal to China’s history, shaping modern nationalism and statecraft. A long thread on tariffs in China’s history with lots of images and charts—and the small part US played in that history. 2/ Beginning with the First Opium War (1839-42), the Qing dynasty during the 19th c. lost a series of wars to foreign powers. In the wake of defeat, it signed several “unequal treaties” that accorded many privileges to foreign powers and unfettered access to the China market.

1/ Final thoughts the Global #ColdWar after teaching it for the first time this semester and fielding student feedback. Some of this might be commonsensical to specialists but are new to me as a legal and economic historian of China. 2/ There are undoubtedly many ways to teach the #ColdWar. Most syllabi on @SHAFRhistorians and elsewhere tend to focus on US foreign relations or US and the world. But more are adopting new perspectives de-centering US-USSR rivalry and elite diplomacy. bit.ly/2K2P4Bd