Reviews for Britain In China

The average rating for Britain In China based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-09-06 00:00:00 Jake Rodney Robert Bickers surveys the immigration and relationships of British settlers within China using newly available archival materials and records from China, Britain and the United States. The point of the book challenges the idea of these British settlements as just an extension of the British Empire but as unique and solitary entities. Bickers, successfully, explores this British presence primarily through diplomats, businessmen, and Christian missionaries. He makes the point that the British settlers in China generally felt more affiliation with their local communities than they did with Britain or the Chinese people, creating a very difficult situation for the British government as well as with the local Chinese population. Interestingly, businessmen and missionaries developed a relationship with the Chinese government that exceeded the British government and diplomatic settlers. The book also examines this relationship through political and domestic issues. The introduction begins with the May thirtieth incident (1925), in which the police shooting of Chinese protesters within the British settlement in Shanghai sparked a fierce movement against imperialism. The pages reflect not only the bloody struggles, however. Attempts to keep the British separated from the Chinese discouraged not only intermarriage and sexual relations but also took measures to insure that the two were socially separate in every way. Cartoons and children's stories contain pictures and references to the Chinese maid and other Chinese servants, chronicling British domination within the settlements. Rather than trudging through dense archives, Bickers presents the information in a very readable and enjoyable way that informs by showing the differing mindsets of two extremely different cultures. His writing style entertains as does his selection of archival pictures from books and posters. Bickers delivers a milestone in the study of British-Chinese relations.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-01-08 00:00:00 Zoltan Balazs I have read a deeply moving book. I needed to take it in small doses. The courage of the people in this amazing book is truly unimaginable. But I have hope. I trust that humanity is basically good. I trust that the majority of humanity will stay wide awake and keep watch for the well being of the people who cannot speak for themselves. Very symbolic for me to have completed this book on this historic day. May the gods guard us all forever.