Allen Lane History S.
2 total works
The vastness of China and the antquity of its culture have both fascinated and troubled the West since their earliest contacts. This text explores Western attitudes as they developed over trade, conflict and sometimes edgy co-existence. The account ranges from the travels of Marco Polo to China's modern place in the literature, diplomacy and daydreams of the West.
In 1728 a stranger handed a letter to Governor Yue calling on him to lead a rebellion against the Manchu rulers of China. Feigning greement, he learnt the details of the plot and informed the Emperor, Yongzheng. The riingleaders were captured with ease, forced to recant and, to the confusion and outrage of the public, spared. Drawing a wealth of documentary evidence - over 150 secret documents between the Emperor and his agents - the author has recreated this revolt of the scholars in all its details. It a story of unworldly dreams of a better world and the facts of a bureaucratic power, of the kind of an Emperor and of the uses of his mercy.