Today over 400,000 Chinese live in Britain, many more attend British universities, and an increasing number visit Britain on business and as tourists. But until now, there has been no comprehensive history of the Chinese who came to the country. This book tells that story, from the first recorded visitor in 1687 through to the twentieth century, drawing on accounts by visiting Chinese, newspaper articles, memoirs, royal diaries and other contemporary sources. The book encompasses, among much else, the sailors who worked on British ships and briefly lodged in the country between voyages; the emergence of Chinatowns in London and Liverpool; servants; students; links to missionaries; Chinese entertainers; exhibitions relating to China; Chinese envoys and ambassadors; and British royalty's engagement with visiting Chinese. The book also includes extended biographies of some of the most significant Chinese to settle in Britain, including the first such immigrant, who has been overlooked in the historical record. The author also deals with the suspicion and prejudice that the Chinese have historically experienced due to their different physical appearance, dress and culture. At the same time, he shows the beneficial impacts Chinese visitors have had on British cultural life over three centuries. As China becomes a pre-eminent world power again in the twenty-first century, this book uncovers our long relationship with the country and its people.

《华人的旧金山:一个跨太平洋的族群的故事,1850-1943》内容简介：旧金山的华埠，建立于十九世纪中叶的淘金热。它见证了旧金山市的崛起，以及加利福利亚州乃至于整个美国西部的发展。华人是美国历史上第一批大规模移民到美国的黄种人。旧金山华埠是美国历史上最令人瞻目的少数民族社区之一，其发展史也是美国多元文化形成过程的一面镜子。
在很长一段时间内，它也是美国最大的华人聚居地，成为我们了解早年旅美华人历史的一个重要窗口。从淘金热到二十世纪中叶，多数旅美的华人经过此地进入美国，使之成为连接中国和美国各地华人社区的最重要的口岸。
作者通过大量的英文和中文材料，用微观方法再现了华人的社会、经济和文化生活。《华人的旧金山:一个跨太平洋的族群的故事,1850-1943》客观的分析，也让我们走近早年华人的内心世界。这个性别比例严重失调的社区，是一个男人的世界。他们在生活中扮演着多种角色：儿子、父亲、劳工、小店主、烟枪客、票友、嫖客、会馆成员等等。这些角色诠释了他们生命中的悲欢离合、喜怒哀乐。
《华人的旧金山:一个跨太平洋的族群的故事,1850-1943》也揭示了早年美国华人的经历和与中国的密切关联。当年他们为了追求美国梦，含辛茹苦、远涉重洋。但同时他们又对故国魂牵梦萦，祈盼故乡的家人平安、积弱的祖国富强。他们多年来用辛苦的积蓄帮助家人和各地受灾的民众，并积极支援抗战。他们也同国兴办实业，拉开了用海外投资来振兴中国经济的序幕。就是这样一个中国梦，把早年美国华人的历史和生活在二十一世纪的我们紧紧联系在一起了。