Then & Now | Shanghai in the 1930s brought to life through enchanting conversations with Billie Gill, a former fixture of the Chinese city’s literary scene
- Louise Mary ‘Billie’ Gill was at the centre of Shanghai’s literary scene in the ’30s and went on to work for the UN. We met her before her death in 2006
- In conversations by Lake Geneva, she spoke of long-ago places and people accompanied by her son, who recently released a memoir about her fascinating life
Fascinating characters first encountered in the pages of long-ago books seldom enter one’s own life as flesh-and-blood personalities. One who did was Louise Mary Gill, née Newman – better known as Billie.
My first introduction came from China To Me (1944), American writer Emily “Mickey” Hahn’s rollicking memoir of life in Shanghai, Hong Kong and wartime Chungking.
In this vividly realised account, she was known as Billie Lee. Depicted perhaps a little too candidly – much as Hahn wrote about practically everyone she encountered – they nevertheless remained lifelong chums. When we met in England in 1996, Hahn spoke warmly of her old friend and said, “You’ll like Billie – most people do!” And she was right.
Fascinating conversations ensued; two particular memories stand out – a long drive followed by a delicious lunch at Montreux, looking back towards the Alps and Vevey beyond; Charlie Chaplin had lived up there for many years.
