| Desultory Notes on the Government and People of China, and on the Chinese Language: Illustrated with a Sketch of the Province of Kwang-Tung, Shewing I Contributor(s): Meadows, Thomas Taylor (Author) |
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ISBN: 1108080480 ISBN-13: 9781108080484 Publisher: Cambridge University Press OUR PRICE: $36.09 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 2017 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Asia - China |
| Dewey: 951 |
| Series: Cambridge Library Collection - East and South-East Asian His |
| Physical Information: 0.63" H x 5.5" W x 8.5" (0.79 lbs) 280 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Asian - Cultural Region - Chinese |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Inspired by the lectures in Munich of the German orientalist Karl Friedrich Neumann, Thomas Taylor Meadows (1815-68) devoted himself to the study of Chinese in 1841, with the aim of entering British service. He arrived in China early in 1843 and rose quickly to the post of consular interpreter at the key treaty port of Canton (Guangzhou), where he remained for several years. During this time, he developed a keen understanding of Chinese affairs, shrewdly cultivating an intelligence network of amenable informants. First published in 1847, this work addresses diverse topics, ranging from the difficulties in learning written and spoken Chinese, through to the nature of bureaucracy and corruption in Canton province. The book sheds light on the period and the tensions in southern China prior to the Taiping Rebellion, a subject later covered by Meadows in The Chinese and their Rebellions (1856), which is also reissued in this series. |