Transcript: Ed Lanfranco, from Hoarder to Historian

A Peking Packrat talks about some of his treasures

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Kaiser Kuo: Welcome to the Sinica Podcast, a weekly discussion of current affairs in China. In this program, we’ll look at books, ideas, new research, intellectual currents, and cultural trends that can help us better understand what’s happening in China’s politics, foreign relations, economics, and society. Join me each week for in-depth conversations that shed more light and bring less heat to how we think and talk about China. I’m Kaiser Kuo, coming to you from Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

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This week, something very different. I am joined today by Ed Lanfranco, someone I’ve known for a very long time, since, I think, 1988, I think, when we were both studying at what was then called Beijing Language Institute. To me, he was always one of those lifers who nobody ever thought was ever going to leave Beijing. Even while we were still living there, Ed had a well-earned reputation as a kind of unofficial archivist —a collector of curios who had an admirable knack for knowing when he had happened on something with historical value, and not just when he held an old piece of pottery or 150-year-old book in his hands, but also when something he was living through would eventually have historical value.

He was known to possess quite a collection of, for example, historical maps and atlases. As we shall see, he also had a pile of memorabilia from things like the SARS crisis of 2003, a trove of materials from ’89, and much more. Anyway, the other day we got to talking about some of the odd objects he’s collected while living in Beijing, and I insisted that he come on the show so we could talk through some of those artifacts. I’m going to include a photo of almost everything we talk about on the show today, both in the transcript and just on the regular podcast page for those who’d like to see it all. Anyway, Ed Lanfranco, welcome to Sinica.

Ed Lanfranco: Well, thank you, Kaiser. And let’s wish the Buddha a happy birthday today. It’s May 15th, on my tear-off calendar it’s his birthday, so I don’t know how I’m going to celebrate.