Book cover of Fragile Cargo: The World War II Race to Save the Treasures of China's Forbidden City

Book description

The gripping true story of the bold and determined museum curators who saved the priceless treasures of China’s Forbidden City in the years leading up to World War II and beyond.

Spring 1933: The silent courtyards and palaces of Peking’s Forbidden City, for centuries the home of Chinese emperors, are…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Fragile Cargo as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Brookes is an expert on China, who has written 3 marvelous spy thrillers set therein.

Turning his attention to non-fiction, he tells the amazing tale of how a handful of brave men, led by Mai Heng, saved – during the 30s and 40s – the most priceless artifacts and artworks of Chinese civilization from the ravages of war. It is a tale of dedication, pluck, heroism, and later, tragedy. 

Brookes writes masterfully, and weaves a tale of Chinese history, culture, and politics into his larger narrative. He brings the drama, personalities, and context of his key characters to life, or…

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A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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