Engaging ... Narrated by this curious Englishman and peopled by a cast of natives, settlers, tourists, and ex-pats, this absorbing book is a tantalizing introduction to China's diversity and the ethnic and political dynamics at the extremes of its empire ... Should interest travel junkies and students of ethnography and geopolitics * Publishers Weekly *
A swift-moving, colorful account of the bewildering array of fiercely independent ethnic groups within an uneasy Chinese home * Kirkus *
A witty and endearing travelogue, and one which presents a view of the country which may surprise even seasoned China watchers ... An excellent exposition on how China's hard-line stance on the immovability of its borders is affecting the lives of millions living on the fringes of both a country and a society * South China Morning Post *
Honest and nostalgic, David Eimer's book is as much about his experience of modern-day China as the problem of Han totalitarianism * Shortlist *
The best of a number of recent synoptic books about the country ... Eimer deftly mixes journalistic analysis with personal experiences. These include some salty tales, as the frontier towns he visits are lively places * Conde Nast Traveller *
Eimer explores the little-visited outer reaches of a nation that's more empire than country to meet the people chafing under the CCP's diktats as the state shifts into superpower gear * Wanderlust *
Bookshelves are now groaning under the weight of China travelogues, but Eimer has forged genuinely new ground as he recounts his travels to China's furthest corners ... A fascinating picture of a part of the country rarely examined in the many books on China's go-go economy and fast-changing society **** * Daily Telegraph *
An engaging journal of his travels through some of these liminal lands ... Lovely writing * Ben Chu, Independent *
Eimer has colourful material ... A well-written adventure in far-flung places that the world needs to know more about if it is to understand China * The Times *
Eimer is especially adept at ferreting out obscure historical facts ... Part travelogue with vivid descriptions of landscapes and people * Scotsman *
A fine piece of reportage, which goes a long way to explaining why the Han are seen so often as the representatives of a colonial power, and why separatists, rather than pro-democracy campaigners, are now the greatest concern in Beijing * Daily Telegraph *
Fascinating * Wexas Traveller *
Eimer is an amiable guide ... The strongest sections of the book come when he stays for longer than the average backpacker - such as in China's under-reported border with Myanmar * Geographical *
An excellent introduction to China's borderlands * Daily Telegraph *
Both a fine piece of reportage and an eye-opening introduction to some of the least-known corners of the world * Daily Telegraph *
Turning his back on Shanghai and Beijing, Eimer heads for China's hinterlands ... Some 50 ethnic minorities - 100m people - live in these regions and Eimer aims to give a voice to their grievances against the Han majority * Financial Times Books of the Year *
The China that looms in the political and cultural perceptions of our 21st century Western-tilted world is far from the country revealed in The Emperor Far Away ... A riveting read * Tom Adair, Scotsman Travel Books of the Year *
Eimer...has forged genuinely new ground * Daily Telegraph *
