Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

First published in 2007. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

China in the closing days of its Imperial era are captured in the drawings and paintings of the artist Mortimer Menpes, noted for his portrayals of the Far East, with text by Sir Henry Arthur Blake, who served as Governor of Hong Kong. Blake writes with elegant authority on Chinese life, customs and landscape, including the Temples of the Seven Star Hills, Opium, Life on the Yangtse, Flower Boats, Curious Forms of Gambling and the Houses of the Wealthy, and the pages are enlivened by Menpes' marvellous drawings that bring the narrative to life. Now that interest in traditional China has never been greater, the publication of this classic treasure is indeed timely.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.