Originally published in 1976, this is the first of two volumes of the selected letters of George Ernest Morrison, The Times correspondent in China in the late Imperial and early Republican period. Few people were in a better position to observe and comment on the events of those years. The first volume of correspondence ends with the revolution and the collapse of the Manchu dynasty in 1912. The second volume covers Morrison's career as political advisor to the first President of the Republic of China until his death in 1920.

Part of the prestigious academic book series Documenting the Image, this is a fascinating survey illustrated by extremely rare photographs of the burned architectural and landscape complex known as the Rape of the Summer Palace. In 1860, Western armies brought ruin to the treasured seat of the Qing emperors near Beijing. One hundred and fifty images have been collected to date as a support for an extensive study of the building of the palaces and their subsequent destruction. This book is a rigourous analysis of the work and experiences of the European photographers, both amateur and professional, working in Beijing during this period, and, as such, becomes an account of the development of photography itself. Offering a fascinating glimpse into 19th-Century China, the book gives an historical overview of the political situation.