171 How to Relieve My Worries? Only Foreign Du Kang: A History of Whiskey's Entry into China
When the biting cold winds of the Scottish Highlands blew to the Bund in old Shanghai, what undercurrents of globalization and tensions of modern history did a cup of amber whiskey carry? In this episode of Leftover Talk, we temporarily set aside grand political narratives and chat from the "corners" of daily life—discussing how whiskey crossed the ocean to come to China and the global historical implications behind it. In late Qing documents, imported goods like whiskey were crudely lumped together as "Ghost Wine"; in the writings of late Qing diplomat Zhang Deyi, they were eye-opening industrial wonders; by the early 20th century in Shanghai, they became cultural symbols for urban upstarts and modern women to flaunt their status, even written into Eileen Chang's novels and the romantic sentiments of young girls at the time.
Original Chinese title & description
171 何以解我忧？唯有洋杜康：威士忌入华史
当苏格兰高地的凛冽寒风吹拂到远老上海的外滩，一杯琥珀色的威士忌，究竟承载了怎样的全球化暗流与近代史张力？ 在本期《边角聊》中，我们暂且放下宏大的政治叙事，从日常生活的“边角”——聊聊威士忌究竟是如何漂洋过海来到中国以及其背后的全球史意涵。晚清的文献中，威士忌之类的舶来品曾被粗暴地统称为“鬼子酒”；在晚清外交官张德彝的笔下，则是令人大开眼界的工业奇观；到了20世纪早期的上海滩，又成为了都市新贵与摩登女郎们标榜身份的文化符号，甚至写进了张爱玲的小说与当时的少女心事里。
Participation credit “本期参与者”：沙青青（微信公众号：13号埋立地、小红书：Sha-13号埋立地）。
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