The decadent child of the 19th century opium Wars, the 'Paris of the East' was a veritable maelstrom of imperialist opportunism, gambling, extortion, prostitution and all other manner of commercially-inspired depravity--shocking even by today's permissive standards. An unbridled playground of seduction and indulgence, Old Shanghai was also one of the world's centre stages for music and entertainment, with its many colorful cabarets, sepia-lit dance halls and smoky nightclubs....and throughout the passage of this era, jazz provided the background score.
