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.

《细雪》的舞台设在上世纪三四十年代之交的大阪，昔日望族莳冈家有漂亮的四姐妹：大姐鹤子守旧、二姐幸子圆融、三妹雪子内向、小妹妙子奔放。故事以大龄未婚的雪子一次次的相亲经历为主线，以妙子的求学受挫、与富家公子和平民青年之间的感情纠葛为起伏。一面是捕萤、赏花、歌咏舞蹈，一面是洪水、疫病、飓风战火。作品整体如同一条缓缓流动的大河，明暗交映，暗涡翻卷；其中人性幽微毕现，百味俱全。
故事围绕大阪没落望族莳冈家个性迥异的四姐妹的生活、婚恋展开。笔调平缓细腻，勾勒出东方女性的柔弱与坚强。日本传统的舞蹈、歌咏、赏花、捕萤等场景，如同闪闪金粉洒布全篇，营造出织锦长卷般的画面。但在时代的大背景下，家运日渐衰败，个人命途难测，传统美文化凋敝，故而《细雪》也被认为是一部“美的挽歌”。
《细雪》是日本唯美主义文学大师谷崎润一郎的代表作长篇小说，曾获“每日出版文化奖”“朝日文化奖”。作品在第二次世界大战期间开始连载，曾被认为有“反战”意图而一度遭日本军方禁止。后多次改编为影视作品，其中市川昆导演、吉永小百合主演的同名电影堪称经典；舞台剧累计演出超过一千五百场。法国文学家萨特盛赞本书是“现代日本文学的巅峰杰作”，日本评论界誉之为“现代版的《源氏物语》”。

《华北与蒙古高原近代经济地理》论述中国近代经济地理变迁的原因、历史过程与结果，各区域工农业和交通邮政金融等方面发生的重大的变迁、全新的中国经济地理格局以及区域差异的形成，并探讨影响中国近代经济地理形成的诸因素。