Today over 400,000 Chinese live in Britain, many more attend British
universities, and an increasing number visit Britain on business and as
tourists. But until now, there has been no comprehensive history of the
Chinese who came to the country. This book tells that story, from the
first recorded visitor in 1687 through to the twentieth century, drawing
on accounts by visiting Chinese, newspaper articles, memoirs, royal
diaries and other contemporary sources. The book encompasses, among much
else, the sailors who worked on British ships and briefly lodged in the
country between voyages; the emergence of Chinatowns in London and
Liverpool; servants; students; links to missionaries; Chinese
entertainers; exhibitions relating to China; Chinese envoys and
ambassadors; and British royalty's engagement with visiting Chinese. The
book also includes extended biographies of some of the most significant
Chinese to settle in Britain, including the first such immigrant, who
has been overlooked in the historical record. The author also deals with
the suspicion and prejudice that the Chinese have historically
experienced due to their different physical appearance, dress and
culture. At the same time, he shows the beneficial impacts Chinese
visitors have had on British cultural life over three centuries. As
China becomes a pre-eminent world power again in the twenty-first
century, this book uncovers our long relationship with the country and
its people.
