Hongkong, China, Mail: “Keenly observant; shrewd and sympathetic insight; ... a vision of China of the present day, very telling in its brightness and jauntiness of comparison; splendidly phrased.”
New York Commercial: “Most acute and pertinent observer. Fascinating qualities of style not unworthy of the brilliant pen of Macaulay. The book has a deep and permanent delight.”
Chicago Banker: “A new authoritative treatise by a writer resident in China for years.”
Edinburgh Scotsman: “It may be doubted if there has been a volume published for a long time which gives a better idea of the present condition of the country.... He gives a vivid impression and is endowed with a gift of humor.”
Transcriber’s Notes
Simple typographical errors were corrected.
Punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found; otherwise, they were not changed.
Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained.
Index not checked for proper alphabetization or correct page references.
Page [121]: “heard Madame Manchu Innocence thrill” was printed that way.