The Immobile Empire

In 1793, Lord George Macartney and an enormous delegation--including diplomats, doctors, scholars, painters, musicians, soldiers, and aristocrats--entered Beijing on a mission to open China to British trade. But Macartney's famous refusal to perform the traditional kowtow before the Chinese Emperor was just one sign that the two empires would not see eye to eye, and the trade talks failed. The inability to develop a trade relation would have enormous consequences for future relations between China and the West. Peyrefitte's vivid narrative of this fascinating encounter is based on extraordinary source materials from each side--including the charming and candid diary of Thomas Staunton, the son of one of Macartney's aides. An example of history at its finest, The Immobile Empire recaptures the extraordinary experience of two great empires in collision, sizing each other up for the first time.

Author: Alain Peyrefitte
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 05/21/2013
Pages: 688
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.39lbs
Size: 7.75h x 5.46w x 1.33d
ISBN13: 9780345803955
ISBN10: 0345803957
BISAC Categories:
- History | Europe | Great Britain | General
- History | Asia | China
- Political Science | International Relations | General

About the Author
Alain Peyrefitte was a French scholar, politician, and author. He had a long career in public service, serving as a diplomat in Germany and Poland and as minister of information and minister of justice. He became a member of the Académie française in 1977. He is the author of several books including The Immobile Empire and The Trouble with France.