China

Nora C. Buckley explains how, during the 15th century, Chinese seafarers were active in Indian and African trade. 

John Villiers describes the rich exchange of artistic ideas between Europe and the Far East during the seventeenth, eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. 

Ts’ên Shên was one of the celebrated poets of the T’ang dynasty. Here, Arthur Waley explores his body of work and the tumultuous career that propelled it.

Jonathan Fenby looks at a brief experiment in Chinese democracy, brought to an end by political assassination.

2000 years ago, writes William Y. Willetts, magnificent Silks from China began to reach the wealthy families of Rome.

Chinese Governments are notoriously difficult in their relations with Europe. G.H.L. LeMay gives a chastening account of two early British attempts to get into diplomatic touch with Pekin.

Raymond Dawson reflects on 2,000 years of historical composition in China, beginning with Ssu-ma Ch’ien.

Gyanesh Kudaisya considers how the Sino-Indian war of 1962 has shaped relations between Asia’s two largest nations.

The cityscapes of the world’s most populous nation are expanding at a bewildering rate. But China’s current embrace of urban life has deep roots in its past, as Toby Lincoln explains.