The Great Reversal: Britain, China and the 400 Year Contest for Power
A vivid history of the relationship between Britain and China, from 1600 to the present
The relationship between Britain and China has shaped the modern world. Chinese art, philosophy and science have had a profound effect upon British culture, while the long history of British exploitation is still bitterly remembered in China today. But how has their interaction changed over time?
From the early days of the East India Company through the violence of the Opium Wars to present-day disputes over Hong Kong, Kerry Brown charts this turbulent and intriguing relationship in full. Britain has always sought to dominate China economically and politically, while China’s ideas and exports—from tea and Chinoiserie to porcelain and silk—have continued to fascinate in the west. But by the later twentieth century, the balance of power began to shift in China’s favour, with global consequences. Brown shows how these interactions changed the world order—and argues that an understanding of Britain’s relationship with China is now more vital than ever.
“Kerry Brown has constructed a concise and clear history of the exchange between Britain and China over 400 years. Readers will be amazed by its rich historical material and meticulous conception. Sure to become a classic work.”—Xinran, author of China Witness and The Book of Secrets
“This is a beautifully written and meticulously researched account of Britain’s interaction with China over the centuries from when Britain was the assertive superpower and China was weak and decaying to the uncomfortable present when China is the assertive superpower.”—Sir Vince Cable, author of Money and Power
“This scintillating book tells the story of a relationship which has shaped the modern world- Britain and China. Ranging from the Tudors to Xi Jinping, The Great Reversal is beautifully written, clear, accessible and unstuffy, full of an astonishing wealth of anecdote. This is narrative history at its best, and will no doubt become the indispensable guide.”—Michael Wood, author of The Story of China
“Brown lays bare the tortured history of Britain’s 400-year entanglement with China and brings this dramatic and largely forgotten past to new life. The narrative beckons the reader to consider anew the importance of artful diplomacy and empathy in adjusting to the throes of change in our ever-shrinking world. A must-read for serious students of our modern age.”—Susan Thornton, Yale University