Books: “The Peking Express” by James Zimmerman

Some of you may recall the 1980-81 Iran hostage crisis, in which staff at the American Embassy in Tehran were taken prisoner for 445 days. But not many may be aware of a similar

situation that occurred 100 years ago this month, when 300 American, European, and Chinese adults and children were hijacked from a luxury train in what is now the People’s Republic of China.

In “Peking Express”, James M. Zimmerman recounts the thrilling tale of the maiden train ride of the Peking Express, whose passengers included some of the world’s most accomplished and well-to-do citizens, including a Rockefeller in-law and members of the Sassoon family.

One night, en route from Shanghai to Peking, shots rang out and the train ground to a halt. The Peking Express had been derailed by terrorists. Over 1,200 Chinese bandits swooped into the cars, forcing all passengers off at gunpoint, some of the guests shoeless and wearing no more than their nightclothes. Many of the Chinese passengers were shot instantly.

The intention of these bandits was to hold the foreign visitors as hostages. What they wanted in return, they claimed, was back pay for having served the country’s fledgling army and not receiving a penny. Plus, they wanted the Chinese troops to forego any rescue efforts; if they didn’t, the bandits threatened to kill the American and European hostages too.

Zimmerman’s meticulously researched book shows us what kind of people the hostages were dealing with. The bandits, many of whom were barely out of their teens, in some cases couldn’t even fire a gun properly. But they were adapt at looting: ripping open the passengers’ suitcases in search of jewelry and money but instead finding toothpaste, cold cream and castor oil which they proceeded to eat and drink.

As if this weren’t bad enough, the bandits force-marched the hostages, many of whom were elderly, starving and ill-clad, for miles through the desolate Chinese countryside.

Fortunately, a few passengers did escape and were able to get word of the hijacking to the authorities. Representatives from England, France, and the United States were brought in to help resolve the crisis, which lasted 37 days, but it eventually took a non-governmental official to finally break the deadlock.

The story of the hijacking was so compelling, it inspired an Oscar-nominated movie called “The Shanghai Express” starring Marlene Dietrich. While the 1932 film may have been regarded as a classic back then, Zimmerman’s book is a spectacular read today. To me, it represents the best kind of thriller— because it really did happen

.