THE LAST EMBASSY: The Dutch Mission of 1795 and the Forgotten History of Western Encounters with China

Tells the story of the Dutch mission of 1795, bringing to light a dramatic but little-known episode that transforms our understanding of the history of China and the West. Suggests that the Qing court, often mischaracterized as arrogant and narrow-minded, was in fact open, flexible, curious, and cosmopolitan. Illus.