China

Craig Clunas considers what we can learn of the society of Ming China by looking at how paintings were used as gifts.

Leslie Marchant sees the Opium Wars as a philosophical clash between two cultures and two notions of government and society.

Joseph Needham, one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable scholars, was born on December 9th, 1900.

Robert Bickers shows how the history of British and European imperialism in China helps explain the ferocious Boxer War of 1900.

Today best known for its gambling industry, the rich cultural history of Europe’s last colonial toehold in China might be the key to its future. 

The 'dragon lady' seized control on September 21st, 1898.

1930s Shanghai was notoriously populated by characters of dubious political and moral allegiances. Bernard Wasserstein shows how the Japanese used their contacts among the city’s low-life to assist in their invasion and occupation.

Janis Wilton records the stories of 19th-century Chinese immigrants and their descendants, and explores their relationship with ‘White Australia’.

With Hong Kong returning to Chinese rule, Roger Thompson looks at when the colony influenced reformers who tried to bring the ballot box to the Middle Kingdom.