2016 is the 150th Anniversary of the first Chinese Government approved visit to England, by the learned Manchu BinChun. The book draws on the diaries of those involved, the Government papers and also newspaper reports from the time to follow his route and bring into sharper focus some of the famous people that he met.
The British Government's aims were broadly to try and support the Qing Government as it tried to modernise and thus help it preserve its independence and also to create a future market for British trade. Politically it was a failure, but perhaps BinChun's importance is that he was a pioneer of public diplomacy, and it is these lessons that are most relevant to us today as we once again seek to engage with China.
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