Publisher's Synopsis
In the work of twenty-five years, Jonathan Spence has established himself as an interpreter of modern Chinese history. His most recent book was "The Search for Modern China".;Spence recreates the historical character and setting in the moving story of Arcadio Huang's odyssey from south China to Enlightenment Paris, where he briefly gains a foothold in an alien culture but then is tragically undermined; takes a Shakespearean approach to the life of the great Qing emperor K'ang-hsi; informs the reader on China's tragic experience with opium; and describes the splendours of food in Chinese culture.
