Gleanings from Fifty Years in China

This series of essays by Archibald Little, a well-known Victorian expert on China, was published posthumously in 1910. Little, who first arrived in China as a tea taster for a German company, spent half a century living in Western China, and his affection for the Far East is evident in the romanticised tone of his work. Little's writings not only describe his life and travels in China, but also contain shrewd observations about the country's natural resources and commercial potential. The book is divided into four parts: 'Trade and Politics', 'Travel', 'Drama and Legend' and 'Religion and Philosophy', and the essays cover an eclectic range of topics, from 'How to register your trade mark' to a close analysis of traditional Chinese drama. Writing with an unmistakable sense of humour, Little exhibits a profound understanding of and empathy with the people of his adopted country.

Foreword; Editorial note; Part I. Trade and Politics: 1. Western China, its products and trade; 2. British trade with China; 3. Ex oriente lux; 4. Two cities, London and Peking; 5. The value of Tibet to England; 6. The partition of China; 7. How to register your trade mark; Part II. Travel: 8. The romance of Chinese travel; 9. A new road; 10. A Chinese sulphur bath; 11. The new rapid and the arrival of the first steamer in Chungking; 12. The dangers of the Upper Yangtse; 13. Szechuan revisited; 14. Yachting in the Chusan Archipelago; 15. Retrospect of events in China; Part III. Drama and Legend: 16. The Chinese drama; 17. Borrowing boots; 18. Plot and counterplot; 19. The rat's plaint; Part IV. Religion and Philosophy: 20. In a Buddhist monastery; 21. Missionaries; 22. Confucianism.

Archibald Little (1838-1908) spent most of his adult life in China, and this collection of essays he wrote there covers all aspects of the Western experience of the Far East in the nineteenth century. Edited by Little's wife and published posthumously in 1910, the book also includes several illustrations.