Chinese history

Huang Xuelei, a senior lecturer of China Studies at Edinburgh University, recently published the book Scents of China: A Modern History of Smell (Cambridge University Press), which tells the history of China through smell and scent. Here, she talks to CBBC’s Antoaneta Becker about how Mao used smell to his advantage and the rise of the perfume market among China’s Gen Z consumers. How did you end up writing a …

David Law, Academic Director of Global Partnerships at Keele University, shares a touching story of commitment, courage and cross-cultural romance during the Second Sino-Japanese War In recent years, I have discovered a story that I should have known long ago. I am now aiming to tell it whenever I have the chance. Recently, when in China, I gave two lectures to university audiences about Michael Lindsay. Under his Chinese name, …

A new exhibition at the British Museum encompasses China’s transformation as it suffered through two Opium Wars, the colonial occupation of Hong Kong, a disastrous war with Japan and more – and yet it was also when the country began opening up to the outside world. Paul French went along to find out more The current blockbuster British Museum exhibition, China’s Hidden Century (1796-1912), runs till 8 October. For anyone …

In the lead-up to two events in Beijing and Shanghai celebrating the 50th anniversary of UK-China ambassadorial relations, FOCUS speaks to British companies that have experienced success in the Chinese market over the last half a century In this second instalment, we speak to David Guo, Chief Executive Officer of Schroder Investment Management in China, about opportunities for investment in a post-Covid China in 2023 and beyond. Can you please …

In the lead-up to two events in Beijing and Shanghai celebrating the 50th anniversary of UK-China ambassadorial relations, FOCUS speaks to British companies that have experienced success in the Chinese market over the last half a century In this first instalment, we speak to Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) about being ‘In China, for China’, promoting Sino-British cultural exchange through its charitable fund, and how CBBC has helped along the way. …

As a challenging year in China draws to a close, Paul french rounds up some of the year’s best Chinese fiction in translation to get stuck into over the holidays Among all the new non-fiction, history and business books, it’s easy to forget that contemporary fiction can provide a window into a country, its consumers and its culture. It’s fair to say the last few years have been a slightly …

A free exhibition at the British Library, supported by Blick Rothenberg, explores the active role Chinese communities have played in British society in the 300 years since the first recorded Chinese person arrived in the UK up until the present day, writes CBBC’s Juliette Pitt Tracing back the origins, exploits and stories of the British Chinese community, who can trace their heritage to regions across East and Southeast Asia, ‘Chinese …

A new book by former BBC correspondent and novelist Adam Brookes describes the daring rescue of ancient treasures from the Forbidden City, and how British ships played a small but important role in making sure the treasures survived their journey. Paul French finds out more Adam Brookes is a former BBC Beijing correspondent who then turned his hand to writing China-set spy fiction with the trilogy Night Heron, Spy Games …

Mark Kitto was one of the most well-known foreigners in China for much of the 1990s and 2000s, as founder of the That’s entertainment magazines. Tom Pattinson speaks to him from his Norfolk home to learn more about his new one-man theatre show soon to be performed in London When I speak to Mark Kitto from his North Norfolk home, he is sporting a neat handlebar moustache. Accompanied by ever-so-slightly …

Britain’s trade with China during the Qing dynasty and the UK’s current obsession with Huawei may have more in common than you think. Sinologist Linda Jaivin’s ‘The Shortest History of China’ attempts to condense the country’s ‘unruly complexity’ into a genuinely useful book for anyone trying to understand the country better. Paul French finds out more. The books in the “Shortest Histories” series are not actually that short – 250 pages …