Bloomsday Shanghai

Lively Bloomsday celebrations in Shanghai, with several events around the city

Bloomsday celebrates James Joyce’s masterpiece, Ulysees. Named after Leopold Bloom, the hero of the book, Bloomsday is celebrated by Joyce fans around the world each June.

This year, the Consulate linked up with the Shanghai Grand Theatre, the Shanghai Review of Books and the five Universities in Shanghai that offer Irish literature studies programmes, to support a lively Bloomsday programme in Shanghai.

The professors and students from Fudan University, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics and Tongji University were expert and enthusiastic participants in the day’s activities, together with members of the Irish community in Shanghai. The day featured Ulysses readings, talks, food, music and costume across three locations.

The centrepiece of the day was a talk at the Shanghai Grand Theatre by the US illustrator, Robert Berry, who visited China for Bloomsday events in and Beijing Hong Kong and Shanghai. Robert Berry is creating an online graphic novel version of Ulysses, and has also created beautiful illustrations for Joyce’s famous short story The Dead.