Yeh (Chinese studies, U. of Heidelberg, Germany) sheds light on the rise of a new kind of commercially driven entertainment culture in the Shanghai Foreign Settlements during the late 19th century, and explores its implications for the larger transformations during the period. The three players, she says, were the city itself; the courtesans, who had adopted western dress and appeared in the public arena; and the new class of urban intellectuals, many of whom belonged to China's first generation of journalists. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)