The Scramble for China: Foreign Devils in the Qing Empire 1832-1914

About this book

In the early nineteenth century China remained almost untouched by British and European powers - but as new technology started to change this balance foreigners gathered like wolves around the weakening Qing Empire. Would the Chinese suffer the fate of much of the rest of the world carved into pieces by Europeans? Or could they adapt rapidly enough to maintain their independence? This important and compelling book explains the roots of Chinas complex relationship with the West by illuminating a dramatic colourful and sometimes shocking period of the countrys history.