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This series focuses on East and South-East Asia from the early modern period to the end of the Victorian era. It includes contemporary accounts of European encounters with the civilisations of China, Japan and South-East Asia from the time of the Jesuit missions and the East India companies to the Chinese revolution of 1911.

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54 results in Cambridge Library Collection - East and South-East Asian History

Page 3 of 3

A Journal of the First French Embassy to China, 1698–1700
  • François Froger
  • Translated by Saxe Bannister
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    02 August 2012
    First published in:
    1859
  • It was not until the early twentieth century that the previously unpublished source of this 1859 work was identified as being itself a reworking of François Froger's Relation du premier voyage, fait en 1698, 1699 et 1700, a journal of his experiences as a young engineer while sailing with the first French ambassadorial party to China. This translation by Saxe Bannister (1790–1877) supplements the original official account with anecdotes and notes: the work is therefore based on composite primary evidence. This does not detract, however, from the worth of this book, in which Bannister uses a lengthy introduction and appendices of further primary evidence to apply what can be learned from earlier works to the contemporary context of the Opium Wars, aiming to promote a more peaceful and balanced attitude towards China. It is a useful example of scholarly propaganda in the history of nineteenth-century Anglo-Chinese relations.

An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China
  • Taken Chiefly from the Papers of His Excellency the Earl of Macartney
  • Volume 1
  • George Staunton
  • Published online:
    05 April 2013
    Print publication:
    10 May 2012
    First published in:
    1797
  • George Leonard Staunton (1737–1801) arrived in China in 1792 as a member of a British delegation whose objective was to improve trade and establish better diplomatic relations with the Chinese, who, at the time, restricted economic activity with foreigners to the port of Canton (Guangzhou). Although the group managed to secure an audience with the Qianlong Emperor - to whom the British envoy Lord Macartney famously refused to kowtow - their mission failed. Staunton kept detailed notes throughout his time in China, and in 1797 this two-volume account of the visit was published, and later translated into French and German. Volume 1 begins with a historical account of China's diplomatic relations with Britain and other nations, and then discusses the extensive preparations for the delegation's voyage, and the long journey itself, which took them round the Cape of Good Hope and through South-East Asia before arriving in China nine months later.

An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China
  • Taken Chiefly from the Papers of His Excellency the Earl of Macartney
  • Volume 2
  • George Staunton
  • Published online:
    05 April 2013
    Print publication:
    10 May 2012
    First published in:
    1797
  • George Leonard Staunton (1737–1801) arrived in China in 1792 as a member of a British delegation whose objective was to improve trade and establish better diplomatic relations with the Chinese, who, at the time, restricted economic activity with foreigners to the port of Canton (Guangzhou). Although the group managed to secure an audience with the Qianlong Emperor - to whom the British envoy Lord Macartney famously refused to kowtow - their mission failed. Staunton kept detailed notes throughout his time in China, and in 1797 this two-volume account of the visit was published, and later translated into French and German. Volume 2 describes in detail the Emperor's reception of the British delegation - including a description and discussion of the kowtowing incident - thus giving a rare glimpse into the Imperial court at a time when Westerners were almost never allowed access. Staunton also provides further descriptions of the delegation's travels around China.

Japan: Its History, Traditions, and Religions
  • With the Narrative of a Visit in 1879
  • Volume 2
  • Edward J. Reed
  • Published online:
    05 February 2013
    Print publication:
    08 March 2012
    First published in:
    1880
  • As Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy, Sir Edward Reed (1830–1906) oversaw the final move from wooden to ironclad ships. Upon resigning from the Navy in 1870 he designed warships for Germany, Chile, Brazil and Japan, and was invited to Japan in 1879 to advise its government on plans to strengthen its navy. Eleven years after the restoration of the monarchy, the country was embarking on a period of rapid industrial and military development. Published in 1880, and part history, part travel narrative, Reed's book gives a fascinating insight into Japan during a key period in her history and is an informal yet informed assessment of her people, customs, history and geography. Volume 2 is an account of Reed's travels, often in a rickshaw, around the country during his three-month stay. It includes his more personal observations, taken directly from his diary, of Japan's scenery, cities and people.

Japan: Its History, Traditions, and Religions
  • With the Narrative of a Visit in 1879
  • Volume 1
  • Edward J. Reed
  • Published online:
    05 February 2013
    Print publication:
    08 March 2012
    First published in:
    1880
  • As Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy, Sir Edward Reed (1830–1906) oversaw the final move from wooden to ironclad ships. Upon resigning from the Navy in 1870 he designed warships for Germany, Chile, Brazil and Japan, and was invited to Japan in 1879 to advise its government on plans to strengthen its navy. Eleven years after the restoration of the monarchy, the country was embarking on a period of rapid industrial and military development. Published in 1880, and part history, part travel narrative, Reed's book gives a fascinating insight into Japan during a key period in her history and is an informal yet informed assessment of its people, customs, history and geography. Volume 1 covers the geography and history of Japan, including its mythology and the origins of its religions. It concludes with a valuable assessment by Reed of the political, social and industrial reforms and developments that he witnessed.

A History of Java
  • Volume 2
  • Thomas Stamford Raffles
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    25 November 2010
    First published in:
    1817
  • Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781–1826) was a British civil servant and statesman best known for his founding of the city (now Republic) of Singapore. After the capture of Java by the British in 1811, Raffles was appointed Lieutenant Governor of the island, a position he held until 1815. After a two-year interlude in England, he sailed back to the East, and established the city of Singapore in 1819. These volumes, written during his governorship and first published in 1817, contain his monumental survey and history of the island state. Raffles provides a comprehensive ethnographic description of the island's society, describing its economy, trade, languages and dialects, and religious and social customs, together with a detailed history of the island, including a discussion of the introduction of Islam. These volumes provide invaluable information of the study of contemporary Javanese society and history. Volume 2 contains Raffles's historical study.

A History of Java
  • Volume 1
  • Thomas Stamford Raffles
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    25 November 2010
    First published in:
    1817
  • Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781–1826) was a British civil servant and statesman best known for his founding of the city (now Republic) of Singapore. After the capture of Java by the British in 1811, Raffles was appointed Lieutenant Governor of the island, a position he held until 1815. After a two-year interlude in England, he sailed back to the East, and established the city of Singapore in 1819. These volumes, written during his governorship and first published in 1817, contain his monumental survey and history of the island state. Raffles provides a comprehensive ethnographic description of the island's society, describing its economy, trade, languages and dialects, and religious and social customs, together with a detailed history of the island, including a discussion of the introduction of Islam. These volumes provide invaluable information of the study of contemporary Javanese society and history. Volume 1 contains Raffles's ethnographic study.

Lion and Dragon in Northern China
  • Reginald F. Johnston
  • Published online:
    05 December 2011
    Print publication:
    30 June 2011
    First published in:
    1910
  • Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston (1874–1938) was a colonial administrator and scholar with a lifelong fascination with China who was appointed tutor to the young Puyi (1906–1967), who became emperor at the age of two. Johnston was highly favoured by the emperor, receiving several imperial titles and residing in the Forbidden City. His account of his time as Puyi's tutor, Twilight in the Forbidden City, also reissued in this series, was dramatised in the film The Last Emperor. Previously, Johnston had served in a variety of colonial service positions, including three years as commissioner of the British-held territory of Weihaiwai. This book, first published in 1910, is Johnston's examination of Weihaiwei, which he considered to be a microcosm of Chinese life. Writing with obvious affection, Johnston outlines the history, culture, festivals and local folklore of Weihaiwei and explores what the future could hold for the city.

Li Hung-Chang
  • His Life and Times
  • Alicia E. Neve Little
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    02 December 2010
    First published in:
    1903
  • Alicia Little (1845–1926) was a prolific writer who moved to China after her marriage to missionary Archibald Little (1838–1907) in 1866. She published many accounts of Chinese culture and society before founding the successful campaign against foot-binding in 1895. This volume, first published in 1903, contains her biography of the eminent Chinese statesman Li Hung–Chang (1823–1901). Li was a towering figure in late nineteenth century Chinese political life, exerting a profound influence over Chinese foreign policy and relations and overseeing China's development of western style industrialism until his dramatic fall from power following China's defeat in the 1894 Sino-Japanese War. Using contemporary newspaper accounts, eyewitness descriptions, and interviews with his contemporaries, Little describes Li's life chronologically, describing his rise to prominence following the Taiping Rebellion in 1851. This volume was the first extensive account of Li's life to be published in English.

The ‘Ever-Victorious Army’
  • A History of the Chinese Campaign under Lt. Col. C. G. Gordon and of the Suppression of the Tai-Ping Rebellion
  • Andrew Wilson
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    09 December 2010
    First published in:
    1868
  • Journalist and traveller Andrew Wilson (1831–1881) was born in India to colonial missionaries. Educated in Europe, he later edited the China Mail in Hong Kong, and the Bombay Times. This, his best known work, was published in 1868, and recounts the suppression of the Taiping uprising in 1863–1864 by Colonel Charles G. ('Chinese') Gordon, leading a small multinational force. The Taiping rebellion against the Qing dynasty lasted from 1850 to 1864, and it is estimated that some 20 million people died as a result. Wilson was given access to Gordon's journals to write the book. Wilson was very pro-Chinese, and was quite critical of British colonial policy towards China. Despite this bias, the work contains much fascinating information on nineteenth-century China, and sheds light on the early career of one of Britain's greatest Victorian military heroes.

An Authentic Account of the Embassy of the Dutch East-India Company, to the Court of the Emperor of China, in the Years 1794 and 1795
  • Volume 2
  • André Everard van Braam Houckgeest
  • Edited and translated by M. L. E. Moreau de Saint-Méry
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    09 June 2011
    First published in:
    1798
  • First published in French in Philadelphia in 1797 and translated into English for the London edition of 1798 reissued here, this travelogue by André Everard van Braam Houckgeest (1739–1801) was received with enthusiasm by readers hungry for exotic accounts of distant lands. It vividly describes a visit to the Chinese imperial court by a delegation from the Dutch East India Company soon after the British Macartney embassy, and delivers a rare glimpse of an unfamiliar landscape and culture. Fascinated by his experiences, van Braam records that he thought it 'far better to lose a few hours rest, than to let a single remarkable object escape me'. Volume 2 includes one of the last known Western descriptions of the spectacular Summer Palace, destroyed in 1860, and a detailed list of several hundred Chinese paintings and drawings that van Braam brought back and intended to donate to the French nation.

An Authentic Account of the Embassy of the Dutch East-India Company, to the Court of the Emperor of China, in the Years 1794 and 1795
  • Volume 1
  • André Everard van Braam Houckgeest
  • Edited and translated by M. L. E. Moreau de Saint-Méry
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    09 June 2011
    First published in:
    1798
  • First published in French in Philadelphia in 1797 and translated into English for the London edition of 1798 reissued here, this travelogue by André Everard van Braam Houckgeest (1739–1801) was received with enthusiasm by readers hungry for exotic accounts of distant lands. It vividly describes a visit to the Chinese imperial court by a delegation from the Dutch East India Company soon after the British Macartney embassy, and delivers a rare glimpse of an unfamiliar landscape and culture. Fascinated by his experiences en route from Canton to Beijing and at the Summer Palace, van Braam records that he thought it 'far better to lose a few hours rest, than to let a single remarkable object escape me'. Volume 1 follows the expedition's journey from Canton to Uoitime, and includes notes on special terms and important cultural concepts, a 'correct chart' of the route taken and a full itinerary.

Memoirs of the Chief Incidents of the Public Life of Sir George Thomas Staunton, Bart., Hon. D.C.L. of Oxford
  • One of the King's Commissioners to the Court of Pekin, and Afterwards for Some Time Member of Parliament for South Hampshire
  • George Thomas Staunton
  • Published online:
    01 March 2011
    Print publication:
    10 June 2010
    First published in:
    1856
  • Sir George Thomas Staunton (1781–1859), sinologist and politician, was a key figure in early nineteenth-century Anglo-Chinese relations. Staunton secured a post as a writer in the East India Company's factory in Canton in 1798 and was the only Englishman at the factory to study Chinese. He translated China's penal code and was promoted to chief of the Canton factory in 1816. He was a member of Britain's Amherst embassy to Peking in 1816–1817 to protest against mandarins' treatment of Canton merchants. The embassy failed to obtain an imperial interview but, despite being threatened with detention by the Chinese, Staunton insisted that the British should not submit to the emperor. Staunton returned to England in 1817, and served as a Tory MP between 1818 and 1852. Staunton's Memoirs, which were printed privately in 1856, provide a unique insight into nineteenth-century British perceptions of China.

Netherlands India
  • A Study of Plural Economy
  • J. S. Furnivall
  • Published online:
    07 September 2010
    Print publication:
    17 June 2010
    First published in:
    1939
  • A classic study of the subject and one of the major works in English on Dutch colonialism in Indonesia, Furnivall's magisterial history was published on the brink of the Second World War when Dutch power was waning in the archipelago. This study traces the economic and social development of Netherlands India from the arrival of the Dutch to 1939. It illustrates the geographical, economic and social features of the colony, and how Dutch and native Indonesian inhabitants co-existed within a unique, now lost, society and culture. Furnivall (1878–1960) served as a British colonial administrator in Burma for many years, and went on to become Professor of Burmese Studies at Cambridge University. The breadth and scope of this book make it an often cited and influential book in southeast Asian studies to this day.

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