Emperor's Tongue
Newsletter Archive · Shanghai Chapter (est. 2018)
Emperor's Tongue serves as the voice of the Shanghai Cacophony Society — documenting our adventures, announcing upcoming events, and preserving the spirit of playful resistance that defines our chapter.
Sixteen issues and two pre-series posters survive. Issue #11 has not yet been recovered; if you have it, the archive wants it.
Zootopia MOOP Parade
Pre-series poster. Animal costumes, trash bags, and the Society's street debut at South Shaanxi Road.
April 15, 2018
- · Zootopia MOOP Parade · April 15, South Shaanxi Road Metro
The Center Circle Formal Gala
Pre-series poster. Strictly formal evening wear aboard Line 4, Shanghai's first mobile ballroom.
July 3, 2018
- · Center Circle Formal Gala · July 3, Line 4 loop
Beer With Steve
The Silver Scroll begins. Cypher on the Bund, the Alchemists convene, and the animal kingdom returns to clean the streets.
November 1, 2018
- · Beer With Steve · Nov 9, Suzhou Creek Beer Lady
- · Zootopia Trash Parade 2 · Nov 11
- · Cypher 1.0 · Nov 17, The Bund
- + 1 more
Zone Trip #3 ~ Lop Nur
Opening the Great Ear of China. Plus free hugs, blindfolded stories near Dada, and a bicycle party from the Cool Docks.
December 1, 2018
- · Free Hugs · Dec 7, West Nanjing Metro
- · Blindfolded Story Telling · Dec 13, near Dada
- · I, Spoke ~ Bicycle Party · Dec 14, Cool Docks
- + 2 more
Polar Bear Parade
The Alchemists are dead; the Architects have arrived. Body paint against the January cold, vodka at the Polish HQ.
January 1, 2019
- · Polar Bear Parade · Jan 5
- · Jian Bing and Jim Bean · Jan 12
- · Wuthering of the Unrighteous Architects · Jan 18, DiShuiDong
- + 1 more
Train Dances
A quiet Lunar New Year issue: one coordinated painting aboard the metro, ancient clothing worn with modern nonsense, then rest.
February 1, 2019
- · Ancient Clothing: Modern Nonsense · Feb 22
- · Train Dances · Feb 27, Shanghai Subway
无声迪斯科 · The Chinese Edition
The all-Chinese issue. Silent disco, an Earth Hour cleanup, and predictive-text poetry at a dive bar on Xinzha Road.
March 1, 2019
- · 预测性文本诗 Predictive Text Poetry · Mar 24
- · 无声迪斯科 Silent Disco · Mar 29
- · 地球1小时清理 Earth Hour Cleanup · Mar 30
The Phoenix Burns on May 4th
Pillow fights in Fuxing Park, tacos in tutus, and the Trash Parade takes to the canals by kayak.
April 1, 2019
- · International Pillow Fight Night · Apr 2, Fuxing Park
- · Tutu Taco Tuesday · Apr 9
- · Zootopia Trash Parade 3: The Canals · Apr 13-14
- + 1 more
The Anniversary Letter
No events this month. One year in, a thank-you after Dragonburn, a welcome to the new Beijing chapter, and a May decompression. Signed, Mango.
May 1, 2019
外星人来了 · The Aliens Have Arrived
The Communiversity opens. The book club begins with Water Margin, and the Midnight Picnic arrives straight from the Cacophony history books.
June 1, 2019
- · Flow Arts and You! · Jun 6, Suzhou Creek
- · Being Extremely Normal · Jun 13
- · Midnight Picnic · Jun 29
- + 1 more
Large Scale Capture the Flag
A village-wide game five hours from Shanghai. Tarot on the seventh hour of the seventh day of the seventh month.
July 1, 2019
- · Harrowing Taroting · Jul 7, 7pm
- · Italian Sign Language Workshop · Jul 11
- · Large Scale Capture the Flag · Jul 19-20
- + 2 more
Burning Man Breakfast
Bok's favourite bars, an Australia Day of dubious taste, and the Man burns at 11am Shanghai time.
August 1, 2019
- · Book Club: Water Margin, Pt 2 · Aug 2
- · Boks's Banging Bar Crawl · Aug 3, JingAn
- · Australia Day · Aug 11
- + 1 more
The Emperor's Trash
The Raccoon Society era begins: urban vermin united in the collection of garbage snacks and shiny knick knacks. Vampires give back; Jmar screens The Witch.
October 1, 2019
- · Six Degrees Party · Oct 12
- · Everybody Is the Guru-Ji · Oct 21
- · Vampires Give Back · Oct 26
- + 1 more
Center Circle Formal Gala 2
Now even more formal. A charity poker run on two wheels, and a declassified mission to rescue Ed the rooster from cold storage.
November 1, 2019
- · Kelly's New Bike Poker Run · Nov 3
- · Reverse, Naked 'Bones, Fists and Harmony' · Nov 8, Tavern de Mango
- · Cacophony Double Feature · Nov 9
- + 2 more
Beer With Steve 2
The sequel. Cacophonists as holiday window decorations, Eyes Wide Shut at cinema club, and a book-club notice you'll have to decipher.
December 1, 2019
- · Cinema Club: Eyes Wide Shut · Dec 5
- · Beer With Steve 2 · week of Dec 9
- · Window Shopping · Dec 14
- + 1 more
The Glyph Issue
January's book club announcement, printed entirely in an invented alphabet. Decipherable by the worthy. Joker at cinema club for everyone else.
January 1, 2020
- · Cinema Club: Joker (2019) · Jan 17
- · Arcano De Peculato · printed in glyphs
Twos-Day
2020/02/22: a joint collective walks sacred Line 2, with stops. Breakfast with Socrates on Valentine's Day, six seats only.
February 1, 2020
- · Breakfast with Socrates · Feb 14, Wuding Xi Lu
- · Joker discussion · Feb 21
- · Twos-Day · Feb 22, Line 2
The Quarantine Issue
May Day parades, miniature effigies on Burn Night, a Burn for one (sold out), and a pub crawl of nothing but Corona. Not sponsored.
May 1, 2020
- · May Day Red Day All Day · May 1
- · Solo Burn · May 2-4 (sold out)
- · Burn Night · May 5
- + 3 more