Overview

Acclaimed historian Stephen Robinson brings to life a legendary last stand. Shanghai 1937. With invading Japanese troops poised to capture one of the world’s greatest cities after almost three months of brutal urban warfare, the Chinese Army begins to retreat – except for a single battalion that stays behind to fight. These soldiers led by Lieutenant Colonel Xie Jinyuan, known as the ‘Eight Hundred Heroes’, defended Sihang Warehouse – a six-storey concrete building and natural fortress. The men repulsed waves of Japanese attacks with intense bravery as thousands of spectators looked on from the relative safety of the British Concession inside Shanghai’s International Settlement. Western journalists with front row seats to the spectacle spread the story across the globe as the plight of the heroes captured the sympathy of the world. Their valour raised Chinese morale as did the actions of the heroine Yang Huimin, a Girl Guide who delivered a Chinese flag to the defenders that flew over Sihang Warehouse as a beacon of hope. Eight Hundred Heroes is an in-depth account, resulting from extensive research that for the first time comprehensively utilises first-hand accounts of the Chinese participants and the observations of westerners who witnessed the battle at close range. It also explains how this incredible feat of heroism became an enduring myth that helped define modern China.

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9781922539205

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I found it an illuminating story of something I knew vertically nothing about. I think Stephen Robinson makes an excellent job of the details. He is an excellent stylist and has an excellent mixture of the close up and the overview. Stephen Robinson makes a very thorough job of tracing events right up into 2017 and the political and emotional repercussions going on even then. This book deals for the siege which takes up about the first half of the book, but with the many, many repercussions. -- David Hill * Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement recipient (2021). * This gripping account by historian, Stephen Robinson, tells of China's legendary last stand against the Japanese in Shanghai in 1937. A must-read for every Australian who ever wondered about the forces that helped shape the most powerful nation in our region. * The Listening Post (RSL WA) Magazine *

I found it an illuminating story of something I knew vertically nothing about. I think Stephen Robinson makes an excellent job of the details. He is an excellent stylist and has an excellent mixture of the close up and the overview. Stephen Robinson makes a very thorough job of tracing events right up into 2017 and the political and emotional repercussions going on even then. This book deals for the siege which takes up about the first half of the book, but with the many, many repercussions. -- David Hill * Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement recipient (2021). *

The tale of Xie Jinyuan and his small band of soldiers who defended a Shanghai warehouse against the Japanese in 1937 has become a legend. With deep research and thoughtful and empathetic interpretation, Stephen Robinson has done two important things: first to tell the tale for a western audience and then to explain why it resonates so deeply in Chinese popular memory even today. This is thrilling history and a powerful insight into contemporary Chinese culture. * Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China, University of Oxford * Eight Hundred Heroes by Stephen Robinson is a detailed and thrilling account of China's Alamo and modern mythmaking. The book sheds new light on this unique story that is well-remembered in China today. * Matthew Legare, author of Shanghai Twilight and Shadows of Tokyo *

Author Information

Stephen Robinson studied Asian history and politics at the University of Western Sydney, graduating with First Class Honours. He has worked at the Department of Veterans' Affairs researching British atomic weapons tests and as a policy officer in the Department of Defence. Stephen has graduated from Australian Command and Staff College, worked as an officer in the Australian Army Reserve and has served as an instructor at the Royal Military College.

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