Former diplomat and prolific author Kerry Brown, currently Professor of Chinese Studies at Kings College London’s Lau Institute, has just published The Great Reversal (Yale University Press). The book takes as its starting point that while modern China has a narrative of its relationship with Britain, Britons don’t have a similar understanding of our relationship with China. If they are taught any history at all, children at schools in the United Kingdom today are more likely …
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history
Kassia St Clair’s The Race to the Future (John Murray, 2023) might just be the perfect read for the China history buff and/or “Petrol Head” in your life, telling the incredible story of the 1907 Peking to Paris car race In 1907, some very, very optimistic Europeans — including an Italian Prince, a French racing driver, and a conman or two – gathered in the French Embassy in Beijing to …
David Law, Academic Director of Global Partnerships at Keele University, shares a touching story of commitment, courage and cross-cultural romance during the Second Sino-Japanese War In recent years, I have discovered a story that I should have known long ago. I am now aiming to tell it whenever I have the chance. Recently, when in China, I gave two lectures to university audiences about Michael Lindsay. Under his Chinese name, …
A new exhibition at the British Museum encompasses China’s transformation as it suffered through two Opium Wars, the colonial occupation of Hong Kong, a disastrous war with Japan and more – and yet it was also when the country began opening up to the outside world. Paul French went along to find out more The current blockbuster British Museum exhibition, China’s Hidden Century (1796-1912), runs till 8 October. For anyone …
As she releases her new book, Fortune’s Bazaar, author Vaudine England meets up with Paul French in Hong Kong’s famous Foreign Correspondents’ Club to discuss two centuries of Hong Kong history – from “barren rock” to colony, from handover to today With such uncertainty at present, perhaps it’s a good time to look back on the history of Hong Kong. There have certainly been books about the city’s history before – …
In the lead-up to two events in Beijing and Shanghai celebrating the 50th anniversary of UK-China ambassadorial relations, FOCUS speaks to British companies that have experienced success in the Chinese market over the last half a century In this third instalment, Unilever reflects on using cutting-edge R&D to develop products that not only benefit the lives of Chinese consumers but have also been adopted around the world. How and when …
The story of the Chinese Labour Corps (CLC) during World War One is both touching and fascinating. As the political climate between China and the West becomes more combative, Clive Harvey – author of the 2017 book Yang’s War – sheds light on a powerful historical partnership between the major powers that is rarely spoken of … but should be Chinese tenacity runs deep. If you go back, 100 years …
Following the death of former president Jiang Zemin, we take a look at the leader’s relations with the UK; from meeting Queen Elizabeth II in Shanghai in 1986, to becoming the first serving Chinese leader to visit the UK in 1999 Former president Jiang Zemin passed away in Shanghai on 30 November 2022 at the age of 96. He was given a state funeral in Beijing on the morning of …
The story of the return of two priceless Ming artefacts to the Shanghai Museum demonstrates the challenges – and importance – of getting it right when shipping museum pieces and fine art to China In late 2021, two Ming dynasty terracotta clay figurines returned to China after residing in a private collection in the United States for nearly a century. The figurines were presented to the Shanghai Museum for inclusion …
A new book by former BBC correspondent and novelist Adam Brookes describes the daring rescue of ancient treasures from the Forbidden City, and how British ships played a small but important role in making sure the treasures survived their journey. Paul French finds out more Adam Brookes is a former BBC Beijing correspondent who then turned his hand to writing China-set spy fiction with the trilogy Night Heron, Spy Games …