Ed Lanfranco: from Hoarder to Historian

Sinica Podcast

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser is joined by old friend Ed Lanfranco, who lived in Beijing from 1988 to 2009. An inveterate packrat, Ed managed to accumulate an incredible trove of documents, maps, photos, and ephemera from his years there and from the decades and even centuries before his arrival. Ed talks about his collection, and invites scholars interested in his material to get in touch!

2:46 – Ed’s time in China and saving ephemera

11:47 – Ed’s favorite old Chinese brands

14:41 – Ed’s map collection

19:34 – The Tiananmen incident of 1976, Ed’s collection of unpublished photographs from the Panjiayuan Antique Market, and a leaflet from April 7th, 1976

30:40 – Ed’s patriotic music record collection

33:28 – Ed’s U.S.-China collection

38:00 – The story behind Ed’s U.S.-China panda button from 2002

43:18 – Ed’s Tiananmen ’89 story and collection of leaflets and files

50:56 – The Underground City of Beijing tour

53:50 – Ed’s SARS 2003 epidemic experience and artifacts

Recommendations:

Ed: Roger Garside’s Coming Alive: China After Mao; Lin Yutang’s works, especially My Country and My People and The Importance of Living

Kaiser: The Rochester-based progressive metal trio Haishen’s new album, Awaken the Endless Deep

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