Collision of Two Civilizations by Alain Peyrefitte
This is the story of a failed attempt by the British, in 1793, to open the Chinese Empire to Western trade. Led by Lord Macartney, whose distinguished diplomatic posts included India and the Caribbean, the enormous British expedition of nearly 700 men included doctors, scholars, painters, musicians, soldiers and young aristocrats, and lasted more than two years, and its success would have redefined the history of the 19th and 20th centuries. The author has made use of a variety of sources, including, on the British side, the diary of the 12-year-old Thomas Stanton, son of Macartney's deputy, who was the only person in the whole English fleet who spoke Chinese, and, on the Chinese side, the newly discovered secret reports of the Emperor's officials, all annotated by the Emperor himself.
Alain Peyrefitte was a French scholar, politician, and author. He had a long career in public service, serving as a diplomat in Germany and Poland and as minister of information and minister of justice. He became a member of the Acadü¾Ž–”¼mie franü¾¶”¼aise in 1977. He is the author of several books including The Immobile Empire and The Trouble with France.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780002726771 |
| ISBN 10 | 0002726777 |
| Title | Collision of Two Civilizations |
| Author | Alain Peyrefitte |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Year published | 1993-01-04 |
| Number of pages | 580 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |