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This series focuses on East and South-East Asia from the early modern period to the end of the Victorian era. It includes contemporary accounts of European encounters with the civilisations of China, Japan and South-East Asia from the time of the Jesuit missions and the East India companies to the Chinese revolution of 1911.

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54 results in Cambridge Library Collection - East and South-East Asian History

Page 1 of 3

Problems of the Far East
  • Japan, Korea, China
  • George Nathaniel Curzon
  • Published online:
    05 June 2016
    Print publication:
    02 July 2015
    First published in:
    1894
  • Following his election to Parliament and extensive travels through Asia, George Nathaniel Curzon (1859–1925) published in 1894 this consideration of the present state of Japan, Korea and China within a changing international landscape. Later viceroy of India, Curzon was fascinated by the rich cultural heritage of the Far East, yet he remained a staunch supporter of British imperialism. He explains that the book's purpose is to delve deeper into political, social and economic conditions, rather than present a travel narrative of 'temples, tea-houses and bric-à-brac'. After devoting a substantial section to each country, Curzon closes with 'The Prospect', exploring what he envisages for the future of the whole region. The favourable reception of this title and his 1892 work, Persia and the Persian Question (also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection), highlighted Curzon's diligently acquired knowledge of Asian affairs and how they affected Britain's imperial interests.

Japanese Girls and Women
  • Alice Mabel Bacon
  • Published online:
    05 June 2016
    Print publication:
    21 May 2015
    First published in:
    1891
  • After spending a year in Tokyo, American teacher Alice Mabel Bacon (1858–1918) became the first author to usher Western readers into the graceful, paper-walled realm of the Japanese woman. An intimate friend of several Japanese ladies, Bacon was privy to a domestic world which remained closed to male visitors. This 1891 work begins with birth and childhood, including the colourful, kimono-like dress of infants, their ornate dolls, and their education in handwriting, flower painting and etiquette. Trained for a lifetime of service to her husband and his parents, the Japanese woman was praised for her loyalty and obedience. But new Western influences, especially on education, were challenging the old ways. Bacon evocatively depicts Japanese women unsettled by their modern education, yet saddled with traditional cultural expectations. With its insight into Japan's class system, cultural history and moral framework, this book remains an essential complement to any study of Japanese social history.

Journal of Three Voyages along the Coast of China, in 1831, 1832 and 1833
  • With Notices of Siam, Corea, and the Loo-Choo Islands
  • Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff
  • Introduction by William Ellis
  • Published online:
    05 June 2016
    Print publication:
    27 April 2015
    First published in:
    1834
  • The Prussian-born Protestant missionary Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff (1803–51) sought to spread Christianity in the Far East. A gifted linguist, he sailed to Siam and worked on a translation of the Bible into Thai. The British missionary Robert Morrison had fired his interest in China, and Gützlaff later focused his evangelising efforts there, learning several dialects and distributing translated literature. The present work, featuring an introductory chapter by fellow missionary William Ellis on Chinese attitudes to foreign influence, was first published in 1834. Gützlaff had left Siam in 1831 in a Chinese junk trading along the coast of China. The next year, as an interpreter aboard an East India Company vessel, he also visited Korea and Okinawa. The third voyage recounted here describes the places and peoples encountered from Canton to Manchuria. Also reissued in this series are Gützlaff's Sketch of Chinese History (1834) and China Opened (1838).

Japan
  • Its Architecture, Art, and Art Manufactures
  • Christopher Dresser
  • Published online:
    05 June 2016
    Print publication:
    21 May 2015
    First published in:
    1882
  • Educated at the Government School of Design (predecessor of the Royal College of Art), Christopher Dresser (1834–1904) became arguably the first industrial designer, identified by his name on his work. He was an early proponent of oriental art: as a leading figure in the Aesthetic Movement, he promoted Japonism in art and decoration. In 1876–7 he toured Japan at the Japanese government's invitation, investigating local manufacturing and design. This beautifully illustrated 1882 work is the result. The first half is a travelogue of Dresser's time in Japan, written with a designer's eye for the architecture and decoration around him. The second half, covering the various ways in which design and decoration were used in the manufacturing industries, includes consideration of architectural motifs, the importance of symbols, lacquerware, ceramics, metalware, and fabric production. This remains an invaluable resource for the student of Japanese art and design.

Japan and the Japanese
  • Aimé Humbert
  • Translated by Frances Cashel Hoey
  • Edited by Henry Walter Bates
  • Published online:
    05 June 2016
    Print publication:
    27 April 2015
    First published in:
    1874
  • Taking advantage of his diplomatic privilege in Japan to travel further and inquire deeper than other foreigners, Swiss envoy Aimé Humbert (1819–1900) brought back stories of life under the Tokugawa shogunate in its final years. First published in the journal Le Tour du monde in 1866, his account of Japanese history and daily life was republished as Le Japon illustré in 1870. This 1874 English translation brought readers up to date by including additional chapters on the 1868 revolution and its aftermath. Humbert focused his narrative on the history and culture of four locations: Benten, the foreign settlement at Yokohama; Kyoto, where emperors had resided for centuries; Kamakura, the old centre of political power; and Yeddo, now Tokyo, the new capital of Japan. Featuring almost 200 illustrations taken from Humbert's collection of prints and photographs, this book captures descriptively and pictorially a country on the verge of dramatic political and social change.

Le Royaume du Cambodge
  • Volume 1
  • Jean Moura
  • Published online:
    05 September 2015
    Print publication:
    21 May 2015
    First published in:
    1883
  • In 1868, Jean Moura took up the post of Administrator of the French protectorate of Cambodia, established the previous year by invitation of the country's rulers who wanted freedom from Thai control. Apart from a short break in 1870, Moura stayed in his post at Phnom Penh until 1879. The foreword describes Moura's determined efforts to find out about every aspect of Cambodian history and culture, and explains how on his return to France he prepared this two-volume, illustrated reference work. Published in 1883, it was announced as the first serious study of Cambodia, indispensable to those wishing to seek their fortune in this most beautiful of French colonies. Volume 1 begins by describing Cambodia's geography, geology, natural resources and agriculture. Moura then discusses topics including exports and trade, the layout and architecture of towns, religion, administration and law, language, literature and education, and the customs of Cambodia's different ethnic groups.

Le Royaume du Cambodge
  • Volume 2
  • Jean Moura
  • Published online:
    05 September 2015
    Print publication:
    21 May 2015
    First published in:
    1883
  • In 1868, Jean Moura took up the post of Administrator of the French protectorate of Cambodia, established the previous year by invitation of the country's rulers who wanted freedom from Thai control. Apart from a short break in 1870, Moura stayed in his post at Phnom Penh until 1879. The foreword describes Moura's determined efforts to find out about every aspect of Cambodian history and culture, and explains how on his return to France he prepared this two-volume, illustrated reference work. Published in 1883, it was announced as the first serious study of Cambodia, indispensable to those wishing to seek their fortune in this most beautiful of French colonies. Volume 2 focuses on the royal chronicles of Cambodia, and on the country's ancient sites and antiquities, their architecture and decoration, before discussing contemporary architecture, visual arts, poetry, music and drama. The book ends with an appendix of recently deciphered Cambodian inscriptions.

China Opened
  • Or, a Display of the Topography, History, Customs, Manners, Arts, Manufactures, Commerce, Literature, Religion, Jurisprudence, etc. of the Chinese Empire
  • Volume 2
  • Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff
  • Edited by Andrew Reed
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    19 March 2015
    First published in:
    1838
  • Remarkable yet controversial, the Prussian-born Protestant missionary Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff (1803–51) sought to spread Christianity in the Far East. A gifted linguist, he sailed to Siam and worked on translating the Bible into Thai. The British missionary Robert Morrison had fired his interest in China, and Gützlaff later focused his evangelising efforts there, learning several dialects and distributing translated literature. Furthermore, he served as an interpreter for the East India Company. Also reissued in this series are his Journal of Three Voyages along the Coast of China (1834) and A Sketch of Chinese History (1834). Edited down into two substantial volumes by the Congregational minister Andrew Reed (1787–1862), the present work was published in 1838. It aimed to generate support for the missionary cause by giving Anglophone readers deeper insight into an unfamiliar civilisation. Volume 2 addresses arts and sciences, religion, and government at all levels.

A Sketch of Chinese History, Ancient and Modern
  • Comprising a Retrospect of the Foreign Intercourse and Trade with China
  • Volume 1
  • Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    22 January 2015
    First published in:
    1834
  • Remarkable yet controversial, the Prussian-born Protestant missionary Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff (1803–51) sought to spread Christianity in the Far East. A gifted linguist, he sailed to Siam and worked on translating the Bible into Thai. The British missionary Robert Morrison had fired his interest in China, and Gützlaff later focused his evangelising efforts there, learning several dialects and distributing translated literature. He also worked for the East India Company, notably serving as an interpreter during negotiations for the Treaty of Nanking. Also reissued in this series are his Journal of Three Voyages along the Coast of China (1834) and China Opened (1838). The present work, published in two volumes in 1834, aimed to diminish Anglophone ignorance of China's vast history. Volume 1 surveys contemporary Chinese geography, government and culture before tracing Chinese history from mythological times to the end of the Ming dynasty in 1644.

China Opened
  • Or, a Display of the Topography, History, Customs, Manners, Arts, Manufactures, Commerce, Literature, Religion, Jurisprudence, etc. of the Chinese Empire
  • Volume 1
  • Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff
  • Edited by Andrew Reed
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    19 March 2015
    First published in:
    1838
  • Remarkable yet controversial, the Prussian-born Protestant missionary Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff (1803–51) sought to spread Christianity in the Far East. A gifted linguist, he sailed to Siam and worked on translating the Bible into Thai. The British missionary Robert Morrison had fired his interest in China, and Gützlaff later focused his evangelising efforts there, learning several dialects and distributing translated literature. Furthermore, he served as an interpreter for the East India Company. Also reissued in this series are his Journal of Three Voyages along the Coast of China (1834) and A Sketch of Chinese History (1834). Edited down into two substantial volumes by the Congregational minister Andrew Reed (1787–1862), the present work was published in 1838. It aimed to generate support for the missionary cause by giving Anglophone readers deeper insight into an unfamiliar civilisation. Volume 1 addresses geography and topography, before moving onto history, language and culture.

A Diplomat in Japan
  • The Inner History of the Critical Years in the Evolution of Japan When the Ports Were Opened and the Monarchy Restored
  • Ernest Satow
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    05 March 2015
    First published in:
    1921
  • A brilliant linguist, Sir Ernest Satow (1843–1929) was recruited into the British consular service as a student interpreter in 1861. The following year he arrived in Japan, where he witnessed the overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Meiji restoration of imperial rule. Drafted in the 1880s while he was consul-general in Bangkok, this 1921 account is based on the voluminous diaries Satow kept whilst in Japan between 1862 and 1869. As an interpreter he was present at many of the meetings between the diplomatic and military representatives of the Great Powers and of the Shogunate. Satow gives his opinions of the various officials he met, and describes the rising tensions that led to conflict between the Shogunate and the Emperor, civil war, and the reassertion of the Emperor's power. Satow's classic Guide to Diplomatic Practice (1917) is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.

Corea, the Hermit Nation
  • William Elliot Griffis
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    01 January 2015
    First published in:
    1882
  • Described as a 'hermit nation' because it isolated itself from the rest of the world, Korea remained very little known to English speakers in the late nineteenth century. During his time in Japan, the American author and educator William Elliot Griffis (1843–1928), who did much to foster understanding between the United States and Japan, became fascinated by Korea and its influence on Japanese history and culture. This historical outline of Korea is compiled from printed sources and eyewitness accounts rather than from personal experience since Griffis was yet to visit Korea at this point. Despite this, and the fact that he was sometimes criticised for presenting Korea in comparison with Japan, this book was well received. First published in 1882, it contains an annotated bibliography and features maps and illustrations throughout. Griffis' most famous work on Japan, The Mikado's Empire (1877), is also reissued in this series.

Relations de voyages et textes géographiques arabes, persans et turks relatifs a l'Extrême-Orient du VIIIe au XVIIIe siècles
  • Traduits, revus et annotés
  • Volume 2
  • Gabriel Ferrand
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    01 January 2015
    First published in:
    1914
  • Gabriel Ferrand (1864–1935) travelled widely as a French diplomat and pursued scholarly passions as a polyglot orientalist. He served as consul to Madagascar and published several works about the island, noting the Arab influence that preceded the arrival of Europeans. A member of the Société Asiatique, and editor of its journal from 1920 until his death, Ferrand sought in particular to make Arabic geographical and nautical writings more accessible to fellow scholars and students. Forming part of that project, this work appeared in two volumes in 1913–14. It presents annotated French translations of mainly Arabic texts relating to the Far East. Brief biographical notes on the authors are given for the benefit of non-specialists. Volume 2 contains texts from the thirteenth century onwards, and includes a section of translated extracts from Chinese, Japanese, Tamil, Kawi and Malay texts.

Corea or Cho-sen
  • The Land of the Morning Calm
  • A. Henry Savage Landor
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    01 January 2015
    First published in:
    1895
  • Born and educated in Florence, Arnold Henry Savage Landor (1867–1925) abandoned his art studies in Paris in favour of adventurous expeditions across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America. A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society from 1892, Landor was also made a member of the Royal Institution in 1897. Dismissive of specialist equipment, he embarked on extraordinary trips that often required considerable courage and endurance. Another of his publications, Alone with the Hairy Ainu (1893), is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. The present work, first published in 1895, is an absorbing account of the geography, people and culture of Korea. While Landor's grasp of the forces of change at work in the country may be partial, the work nevertheless demonstrates a valuable understanding of Korean culture and customs not found in earlier accounts. Many fine illustrations by Landor himself increase the book's appeal.

The Chinese and their Rebellions
  • Viewed in Connection with their National Philosophy, Ethics, Legislation, and Administration
  • Thomas Taylor Meadows
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    01 January 2015
    First published in:
    1856
  • Inspired by the lectures in Munich of the German orientalist Karl Friedrich Neumann, Thomas Taylor Meadows (1815–68) devoted himself to the study of Chinese in 1841, with the aim of entering British service. He arrived in China early in 1843 and rose quickly to the post of consular interpreter at the key treaty port of Canton (Guangzhou), where he remained for several years. His Desultory Notes on the Government and People of China, and on the Chinese Language (1847) is also reissued in this series. The present work, first published in 1856, is an expansive treatment of matters relating to 'the present Chinese rebellion', namely the Taiping Rebellion (1850–64). Meadows discusses the ongoing conflict within its historical and cultural context, offering also observations and recommendations on Anglo-Chinese relations. He closes with a lengthy disquisition on the nature and state of 'civilization' in the East and West.

A Sketch of Chinese History, Ancient and Modern
  • Comprising a Retrospect of the Foreign Intercourse and Trade with China
  • Volume 2
  • Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    22 January 2015
    First published in:
    1834
  • Remarkable yet controversial, the Prussian-born Protestant missionary Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff (1803–51) sought to spread Christianity in the Far East. A gifted linguist, he sailed to Siam and worked on translating the Bible into Thai. The British missionary Robert Morrison had fired his interest in China, and Gützlaff later focused his evangelising efforts there, learning several dialects and distributing translated literature. He also worked for the East India Company, notably serving as an interpreter during negotiations for the Treaty of Nanking. Also reissued in this series are his Journal of Three Voyages along the Coast of China (1834) and China Opened (1838). The present work, published in two volumes in 1834, aimed to diminish Anglophone ignorance of China's vast history. Volume 2 traces events since the beginning of the Qing dynasty in 1644. Gützlaff then discusses Christianity's introduction and other foreign influence, chiefly the commercial activities of European powers.

The Mikado's Empire
  • William Elliot Griffis
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    01 January 2015
    First published in:
    1877
  • A respected authority on Japan, William Elliot Griffis (1843–1928) did much to foster understanding between the United States and Japan in the late nineteenth century. This was his most popular work on the subject. It is arranged in two sections, with maps and illustrations throughout. The first part is a detailed history of Japan from 660 BCE, covering factual events as well as mythological elements of the Japanese past. This is followed by a personal account of the four years Griffis lived in Japan, during which the country underwent significant modernisation. Highly successful, the work went through twelve editions following its initial publication in 1876. It is reissued here in its second edition of 1877 and features improvements, such as the addition of content in the appendices and footnotes, made in response to comments by critics. Giffis' Corea, the Hermit Nation (1882) is also reissued in this series.

Relations de voyages et textes géographiques arabes, persans et turks relatifs a l'Extrême-Orient du VIIIe au XVIIIe siècles
  • Traduits, revus et annotés
  • Gabriel Ferrand
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    01 January 2015
    First published in:
    1913
  • Gabriel Ferrand (1864–1935) travelled widely as a French diplomat and pursued scholarly passions as a polyglot orientalist. He served as consul to Madagascar and published several works about the island, noting the Arab influence that preceded the arrival of Europeans. A member of the Société Asiatique, and editor of its journal from 1920 until his death, Ferrand sought in particular to make Arabic geographical and nautical writings more accessible to fellow scholars and students. Forming part of that project, this work appeared in two volumes in 1913–14. It presents annotated French translations of mainly Arabic texts relating to the Far East. Brief biographical notes on the authors are given for the benefit of non-specialists. Volume 1 contains the preliminary matter explaining Ferrand's approach to transcription and translation. This is followed by texts up to the thirteenth century, including extracts from the ninth-century author Sulaiman al-Tajir.

Colonial Policy and Practice
  • A Comparative Study of Burma and Netherlands India
  • John Sydenham Furnivall
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    21 August 2014
  • A noted historian of Burma and a founder of the Burma Research Society, John Sydenham Furnivall (1878–1960) supported Burmese independence and freedom from colonial rule. However, he has been considered as Eurocentric and in favour of colonialism, in part because he saw it as a necessary stage in the improvement of certain societies. Stemming from a request in 1942 by the colonial government for Furnivall's views on reconstruction, this influential study was published in 1948. Using the Dutch East Indies as a case study for comparison, Furnivall assesses the effects of the different systems of colonial rule, framed within general surveys of their colonial policies and practices. The book is driven by the goal of consolidating and stabilising Burma's plural society, focusing on the importance of the welfare of the native population. Furnivall's Netherlands India (1939) has also been reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.

The Past and Future of British Relations in China
  • Sherard Osborn
  • Published online:
    05 December 2014
    Print publication:
    17 July 2014
    First published in:
    1860
  • In 1860, naval officer Sherard Osborn (1822–75), a veteran of both Opium Wars, published this collection of remarks and predictions on Chinese affairs in relation to British imperial interests. Osborn writes in forthright style of his time in the East and his negative experiences of Chinese diplomacy to support his view that 'the European has ever to use force rather than argument to obtain his ends in China, be they however moderate, however just'. He also sets out some advice on how to prevent British smugglers from taking advantage of the Chinese. A number of Osborn's other publications are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection, including Stray Leaves from an Arctic Journal (1852), The Discovery of the North-West Passage by HMS Investigator (1856), and The Career, Last Voyage, and Fate of Captain Sir John Franklin (1860).

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