Understanding Class

English Explained explores the areas of English grammar that are most affected by misinformation and confusion and supplies the learner with the knowledge to finally grasp the workings of this multifaceted language. The fifty sections of English Explained cover the misunderstood, the misleading, and anything that appears to break the standard grammar ‘rules’ we are all taught. The book has been written, in the first instance, for teachers and prospective teachers (TESOL/TEFL) whose first language is not English. A key aim of the book, then, is assisting both students and teachers on a practical level by equipping them with the knowledge and the awareness to answer any challenging questions a teacher or an enquiring student may pose over the course of an English class. It will also prove invaluable to students of all disciplines who seek a better grasp and understanding of English grammar—essential for achieving competency in both writing and reading.

Revitalization in Asia: Adaptive Reuse in Macao, Mumbai, and Penang offers a clear understanding of the value of sustainable adaptive reuse within an Asian context. Three highly urbanized places (Macao, Mumbai, and Penang) are considered in detail from conservation and planning perspectives (with essays and timelines for each). For each place, five case studies offer a comparative framework for understanding similarities and differences in adaptive reuse projects. Six essays examine adaptive reuse in terms of its connection to the three dimensions of sustainability, with reference to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This book is envisioned as a continuation of Asian Revitalization: Adaptive Reuse in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore.

Originally published in 1900, this book and its numerous images by American photographer Eliza Ruhama Scidmore provide an excellent foundation for understanding the physical setting and political climate in 19th-century China.

Diamond Sutra Explained Master Nan Huai-Chin’s discourses on the treasured Buddhist Diamond Sutra bring together a lifetime of personal cultivation experience which ran the gamut of esoteric and spiritual practices. This beautiful Sutra can be a compass and a gauge when journeying towards understanding our true selves. Master Nan guides us through the Diamond Sutra providing students with a framework that combines understanding with practical cultivation. Master Nan’s teachings are unique among contemporary and historical interpretations.

TOP1婦幼雜誌《嬰兒與母親》 ＋ HITO百位名醫  最專業、最好讀、最圖文並茂的育兒必備手冊  終結育兒路上的不安感，帶好Baby So Easy！ 經歷40週的懷胎，終於盼到寶貝的到來。 新手父母的喜悅，往往只有初次抱到新生兒的當下。 接踵而來的育兒疑難雜症，常常把爸媽搞得頭大又焦慮。 新手爸媽別擔心，為您量身訂做的NO.1「超實用育兒講堂」在這裡！ 零到兩歲是人一生中發展最快速的階段，把握嬰幼兒成長的關鍵黃金期，即刻啟動超級育兒力，守護好孩子的健康，就能讓他贏在起跑點上！  60分鐘快速搞懂寶貝的身體密碼，打通育兒路上的任督二脈，讓您輕鬆享受育兒趣！ 一次收錄新手爸媽最常提問的72道關卡，隨時能夠立即解開育兒疑惑。讓爸比、媽咪翻開書本就能找到答案，不用心慌地狂跑醫院和尋求網軍！ 【 CLASS　1：嬰幼兒的生理發展 】 寶寶五感發展、生長曲線、食量變化等，各類生長概況全收錄。 【 CLASS　2：嬰幼兒的日常照護 】 臍帶護理、睡姿＆頭型、作息調整等，日常生活照護通通有解。 【 CLASS　3：嬰幼兒的常見疾病 】 各類疾病徵症＆照護、就醫關鍵等，疾病對策一把罩。 【 CLASS　4：嬰幼兒的保健知識 】 生病找誰看、疫苗知多少、意外急救法等，逐一圖解與剖析。 【 SPECIAL　CLASS：嬰幼兒的生命禮俗 】 剃胎髮、滿月、收涎與抓周，重要的成長階段祝福怎能就此錯過。

英文單字「參加」，在文章中你會如何使用？而且用對了嗎？to attend a class, a meeting, a conferenceto participate in / take par...

In this sardonic portrait of the up-and-coming middle class during the prosperous 1920s, Sinclair...

This sequel to Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and Little Men chronicles the return of the class...

Peter pan, the mischievous boy who refuses to grow up, lands in the Darling's proper middle-class...

The Tropic of Cancer Sustainability Belt Sustainability is a global trend, and a global lingua franca. How can Taiwan use sustainability to tell our story on an international stage? How can Taiwan create a sustainability brand that is equipped with a global perspective? The National Park Service (NPS) considers the Tropic of Cancer a great place to start. By connecting the dots of Taiwan’s mountain resources, ocean resources, and sustainability partners into a line, and then making that line into a belt, we can turn the Tropic of Cancer – which many think of as just a bunch of geographic markers – into a whole new window for getting to know Taiwan. As the 180km north-south Tropic of Cancer Belt crosses Taiwan, it crosses coasts, wetlands, foothills, high mountains, oceans, cities, and villages. Along the way, it encompasses every form of ecology, life, and production, forming world-class environmental marvels. The NPS is using the Tropic of Cancer Sustainability Belt project to put

The author of this book is a world-class scientist, inventor, educator, and preacher. His profound influence on semiconductor technology has shaped Taiwan and the global industry, leaving a lasting legacy. This book distills his life lessons, built upon the golden triangle of family, work, and spiritual life, offering readers a model to success and fulfillment. Through a clear, sincere, and humorous style, Burn shares the experiences that defined his journey—his character, approach to work, and the highs he has reached throughout his life. In this book, Burn discusses how family, work, and spiritual life form a golden triangle, the fundamental structure upon which one’s life is built. Like a triangle—the most stable polygon—each corner plays a vital role in sustaining balance and growth. With decades of dedication, Burn provides insights into how he has maintained equilibrium among these three essential aspects, guiding readers to build upon this foundation and achieve even greater hei

On China-UK Relations has selected 117 speeches from over 700 Liu Xiaoming, Former Chinese Ambassador to UK, had delivered during his 11-year tenure in the UK. The contents spans multiple dimensions: China-UK relations, party and parliamentary exchanges, economic and trade relations, financial cooperation, science and technology coopera tion, ecological and environmental protection, subnational exchanges, cultural exchanges, spring festival celebrations, educational exchange, Confucius institutes, military exchanges, Chinese community, British friends, and understanding between China and the UK. This book contains Liu Xiaoming’s observations and reflections on China-UK relations: What kind of China-UK relationship do we need? How to develop stable and mutually beneficial China-UK relations? And how to enhance mutual understanding and recognition between China and the UK? More chapters are dedicated to introducing exchanges and cooperation in various fields between China and the UK.

用最Chill的文字當面嗆爆你 Spotlight｜封面人物 專訪饒舌歌手陳嫺靜 Rookie｜新手概論 嘻哈關鍵詞 A to Z 10首國內外嘻哈經典 嘻哈知識檢定 Pro｜專業知識 台灣嘻哈音樂的地下精神 楊舒雅X范銘如：女性嘻哈聲音 Veteran｜內行領路 迪拉Ｘ陳冠亨Ｘ謝乾乾的不藏私對談 Class｜饒舌創作 freestyle、battle、對拍、填詞、押韻、排Flow⋯⋯從零開始的嘻哈實戰教學

In A New Documentary History of Hong Kong, 1945–1997, Florence Mok, Fung Chi Keung Charles, and other contributors analyse newly released archival records from the National Archives in London, the Government Records Service in Hong Kong, and other sources across the world. This documentary collection provides an updated and improved understanding of basic aspects of the city such as governance, economy, society, and culture. It also aims at investigating topics that are under-exploited in previous sourcebooks, such as race and diasporas, gender and familial relations, medicine and healthcare, and environment and natural disasters. Overall, this book offers an innovative and comprehensive long-term perspective of Hong Kong’s colonial history.

◎Zhang Wen-huan is one of the foremost writers of Taiwanese literature during the Japanese colonial period. The Man Crawling upon the Earth is a novel he wrote in Japanese after a 30-year hiatus. ◎The Man Crawling upon the Earth is a story set in Taiwan during the Japanese occupation. The five-year old boy Chen Kei-min is adopted into a mountain village shopkeeper's family. ◎With humor and humanistic understanding, the author Zhang Wen-huan pictures the people’s traditional way of life marked by annual festivities.

The official unveiling of Taiwan’s National Park Service indicates that Taiwan’s nature conservation and cultural heritage protection are about to reach new heights. This issue’s cover story invites readers to probe into the meaning of the three verbs: See, Build, and Achieve. First, see the vision and direction of the NPS’s future development, then learn how national park staff creatively build mutual understanding and collaboration between parks and the public. Lastly, through stories shared by national park senior staff, readers can visualize the process of happiness and bitterness through which national parks endeavored to achieve the ideals of safeguarding Taiwan’s mountains and seas over the past 40 years. The spirit contained within shall serve as an important road sign on the journey toward the future.

The official unveiling of Taiwan’s National Park Service indicates that Taiwan’s nature conservation and cultural heritage protection are about to reach new heights. This issue’s cover story invites readers to probe into the meaning of the three verbs: See, Build, and Achieve. First, see the vision and direction of the NPS’s future development, then learn how national park staff creatively build mutual understanding and collaboration between parks and the public. Lastly, through stories shared by national park senior staff, readers can visualize the process of happiness and bitterness through which national parks endeavored to achieve the ideals of safeguarding Taiwan’s mountains and seas over the past 40 years. The spirit contained within shall serve as an important road sign on the journey toward the future.

● 認識 PyQt 和 Qt Designer ● 了解 PyQt5 和 PyQt6 的差異 ● 程式碼均包含 PyQt5 和 PyQt6 版本 ● 程式碼均有一般寫法和 class 寫法 ● 介面與視窗元件 ● 介面佈局方法 ● 行為與事件 ● 樣式、影像和繪圖 ● 十個精選實用範例 Qt 本身是 C++ 的函式庫，而 PyQt 則是 Qt 的分支，是 Python 用來設計使用者介面 ( GUI ) 的函式庫，主要使用 Python 搭配 Qt 進行介面的設計開發，除了能完整利用 Python 語法，也保留了 Qt 的強大功能，目前市面上許多軟體，也會使用 PyQt 進行開發。 雖然 Python 本身內建 Tkinter 函式庫，但 PyQt 能用更容易理解的程式碼，以及更美觀的介面進行設計，此外，PyQt 也可以搭配 Qt Designer ( 針對 Qt 開發者的跨平台介面開發工具 ) 進行開發，並輕鬆的在 Windows、Linux 及 Mac OS 等作業系統運行。 本書是專門介紹 PyQt 的書籍，除了同時介紹 PyQt5 ( 最普及 ) 和 PyQt6 ( 最新 ) 兩種版本，每個範例程式碼都會包含「一般寫法」和「class 寫法」，從最基本的介面與視窗元件，行爲和事件、繪圖與圖形編輯都有詳細介紹，最後也會透過十個常用的精選範例，帶領大家實作出完整的應用。

How do public markets, as ordinary as they seem, carry the weight of a city’s history? How do such everyday buildings reflect a city’s changing political, social, and economic needs, through their yearslong transformations in forms, functions, and management? Integrating architecture and history, this book invites readers to go through the growth and governance of colonial Hong Kong by tracing the past and present of public markets as a study of extensive firsthand historical materials. As the readers witness the changes in Hong Kong markets from hawker pitches to classical market halls to clean modernist municipal complexes, the book offers a new perspective of understanding the familiar everyday markets with historical contexts possibly unfamiliar to most, studying markets as a microcosm of the city and a capsule of its history. This book is a robust and in-depth study of the market building history of Hong Kong since the 1840s and contributes to a holistic understanding of everyday

It is written from an objective, external viewpoint and paints a colourful and lively picture of Sanguinetti in a voice that could almost be his own. Using Sanguinetti' s life experiences, the biographer touches on various historical events, including the Mau Mau revolution in Kenya and the 1957 riots in Hong Kong, and details the social and political problems of the times, such as lingering colonialism, class structure issues, and human rights violations, among others. These glimpses of history through Sanguinetti' s eyes are accessible, thought-provoking, and truly representative of the man himself.Offering a well-rounded image of the eccentric subject, this book fulfils Sanguinetti' s common response to questions about both his personal and professional life — “ more when I know you better” . It will undoubtedly be of interest to those who knew Sanguinetti as well as legal professionals, young barristers, and readers with an interest in post-war history in Gibraltar, Kenya, and espe

Games help drive engagement, achieve goals, and ultimately promote development within a group. As such, it is important for group facilitators to be equipped with game skills to ensure a lively, vibrant, and motivated atmosphere. This book includes four theoretical essays by experienced game facilitators regarding the concept, practice sharing, and application skills of group game facilitation, as well as a collection of 100 practical group games covering ice-breaking, mutual understanding, group cooperation, and problem solving. This list of games is built on the experiences and contributions of the author and social work students.

同樣的事情， 為什麼講了100遍還是記不住？ 99%的爸媽和師長其實都教錯了！ 只有善用大腦能接受的管教機制， 才能教出自主自律的小孩！ 這是一本顛覆所有教養認知的書， 那些大人認為理所當然的諄諄教誨，原來未必正確！ 一位廢除中學班導師制度、取消定期考查、連功課都全面喊停的反骨校長，加上一位小時候因為愛打棒球荒廢學業、高中肄業後卻又在美國加州大學洛杉磯分校（UCLA）跳級畢業的腦神經科學家；兩人聯手將博大精深的大腦科學落實在教育實務面，在了解腦神經迴路的運作原理之後，運用大腦能接受的方式教養，孩子才能真正懂得自我管理，同時啟發潛能！ 史無前例的結合 學校教育和神經科學 時任麴町中學校長的工藤勇一，有感於當前教育淪為形式，因而在校期間推動種種學校改革，過程中適逢神經科學專家青砥瑞人先生造訪，因而開啟了「將大腦科學應用於教育」的契機。 教養孩子的最大關鍵 「心理安全」與「後設認知」 本書正是歷經三年時間的研究成果，以「心理安全感」、「後設認知能力」作為書中兩大主題，──心理安全感是人腦在做深入思考或者是理性判斷時，不可或缺的狀態；而「後設認知」則是讓孩子們體驗負面記憶後，能夠轉變成正面學習的能力。只有順應大腦的運作原則，開創能為孩子帶來心理安全的環境，才能激發出後設認知能力，實現「自律」、「尊重」以及「創造」的目標。 反骨校長x大腦專家 4堂教養課開啟無限潛能 Class 1什麼是心理安全感？青砥瑞人 Class 2如何創造孩子們能安心的環境? 工藤勇一 Class 3什麼是後設認知? 青砥瑞人 Class 4 如何鍛鍊孩子的後設認知能力 工藤勇一 「3句話」的神奇魔力， 大人這樣說能鼓勵孩子自己做決定 1.「怎麼了？」（「遇到什麼麻煩事嗎？」） 2.「你想要做什麼呢？」（「有在想接下來想要怎麼做嗎？」） 3.「希望給些什麼幫助呢？」（「老師有什麼可以幫得上忙的嗎？」） 來自教育現場的金句（節錄）： ★「學習」與「幸福」，這兩點才是教育的終極目的，而責罵不是！ ★越是嚴厲責罵，越會帶來反效果 ★一旦被否定，負面記憶就會頑強地被保存在孩子的腦中 ★生氣的大人心理狀態是危險的！ ★糾結就是最強的大腦訓練，大人千萬不能阻擋孩子的糾結！ ★能夠真誠地面對自己，將會成為自己一生的武器 ★刻意營造「零壓力環境」將會適得其反 ★當心讓孩子陷入心理危險的錯誤教育 ★別提供

The crisis of masculinity surfaced and converged with the crisis of the nation in the late Qing, after the doors of China were forced open by Opium Wars. The power of physical aggression increasingly overshadowed literary attainments and became a new imperative of male honor in the late Qing and early Republican China. Afflicted with anxiety and indignation about their increasingly effeminate image as perceived by Western colonial powers, Chinese intellectuals strategically distanced themselves from the old literati and reassessed their positions vis-à-vis violence. In Mastery of Words and Swords: Negotiating Intellectual Masculinities in Modern China, 1890s–1930s, Jun Lei explores the formation and evolution of modern Chinese intellectual masculinities as constituted in racial, gender, and class discourses mediated by the West and Japan. This book brings to light a new area of interest in the “Man Question” within gender studies in which women have typically been the focus. To fully r

“Red and blue appear in stark contrast with one another on the map of America. But the even more profound divide is the alienation in our hearts.” This work is a striking analysis of the struggles faced by American society, written from the perspective of a Chinese professor of history who spent 60 years of his life in the US. As both an insider and outsider to this country, Cho-yun Hsu is able to perceive what many other Americans may take for granted, and it is this viewpoint—together with his decades of experience teaching history at the University of Pittsburgh—that make this work so unusual and worthwhile. This work analyzes American history through a wide range of topics, including culture, politics, economics, industrialization, class, ethnicity, the urban-rural divide, and more. Expertly analyzing the origins of the tension and conflict between different classes and ethnic groups in American society, this book seeks to offer a way forward from a humanistic perspective, in the

St. Stephen’s Girls’ College is one of the many schools run under the auspices of the Anglican Church in Hong Kong. Starting as a tiny missionary school for upper-class Chinese girls and their younger brothers, it has evolved into a large establishment, comprising kindergarten, primary and secondary sections, playing its full part in the public sector of education and now serving a complete socio-economic cross-section of the community. As one of the earliest schools for girls in the territory, St. Stephen’s played a significant role in the opening up of educational opportunities for Chinese girls. This book records the history and development of the school and is written for its 90th Anniversary, using much original source material. The author, who was head of the school for over thirty years, has set this history within the educational, social and political context of the times. This book will be of obvious interest to those who have a connection with the school: council members, t

This ground-breaking edited collection draws together Australian historical scholarship on Chinese women, their gendered migrations, and their mobile lives between China and Australia. It considers different aspects of women’s lives, both as individuals and as the wives and daughters of immigrant men. While the number of Chinese women in Australia before 1950 was relatively small, their presence was significant and often subject to public scrutiny. Moving beyond traditional representations of women as hidden and silent, this book demonstrates that Chinese Australian women in the twentieth century expressed themselves in the public eye, whether through writings, in photographs, or in political and cultural life. Their remarkable stories are often inspiring and sometimes tragic and serve to demonstrate the complexities of navigating female lives in the face of racial politics and imposed categories of gender, culture, and class. Historians of transnational Chinese migration have come

For years, Faina, the Russian wife of Chiang Kai-shek''s son Ching-kuo, was a missing link in our understanding of 20th century China. Mark O''Neill''s new biography tells an astonishing story of a young woman who started as a Soviet factory worker and found herself deeply entwined in the political turmoil of the formation of modern China. This is not just a story of a political couple, but rather a wider anging and compelling tale of the forces that shaped a political generation-and eventually, democracy in Taiwan. --RanaMitter,ProfessoroftheHistoryandPoliticsofModernChina;DirectoroftheUniversityofOxfordChinaCentre

Essentials in the understanding of the development of pre-Qin philosophy. The Mingjia (名家, School of Names) is a notional grouping of philosophers first recorded as such in the Shiji. Their identifying feature was a concern with linguistic issues particularly involving the correct use of names. The group, as listed in the Han Shu, comprised seven men living between the sixth and third centuries BCE. Only four of these men— Deng Xi, Yin Wen, Hui Shi, and Gongsun Long— have extant writings attributed to them, and in three of these there are issues of authenticity. Nevertheless, it is an important group for an understanding of the development of pre-Qin philosophy as the men themselves and the concepts they explored feature prominently in the writings of the other schools. The present volume contains four parts: (i) the extant writings of the four men; (ii) all significant references to them in other works up the fourth century CE; (iii) other significant writings on the topics up to th

This book is a study of social and cultural change in the lower Yangzi delta. This region, Ming China’s economic heartland, flourished commercially and culturally during the sixteenth century, and its elites maintained strong political ties with the central government at Beijing. Drawing upon a large body of contemporary writings, the author discusses important socio-economic and cultural trends wherein scholars and scholar-officials entered the marketplace while the merchant class improved its status and importance. For all the benefits they brought about, these developments sowed the seeds of trouble. The author explains how unconstrained profit-seeking eroded the social and moral fabric of society and widened the gap between rich and poor. Toward the end of the sixteenth century, economic conditions worsened. Bitter resentments gave rise to popular riots against predatory great families. Eventually, mass revolts across the empire and Manchu’s invasion dealt a crushing blow to th

Democracy on Trial is an attempt to begin to negotiate the problem of writing about and understanding democracy and social movements in Taiwan, and what they can tell us about a place and country that for me is both home and the field, an object of study and yet also an area of hope and engagement.

This is how a Chinese proverb goes, “It takes a long way to tell how strong a horse is; it takes a long time to know a person well.” Yet, the Chinese also developed a set of rules to know a person simply by observation – read first his face and palm, then his gesture and demeanour for his intelligence and his luck. If you’re interested in knowing a person by just looking, this book is an indispensable read: - Is she/he the perfect wife or husband? Is he pretending to be rich, but is actually a less-privileged working class? Is he a sex fiend or a shameless con man? They are giving it away on their face and with their gestures. - What is your boss thinking? How do you tell if a subordinate is loyal? Which of the workers is the most competent? Simply take a look and you’d know. - Read both the face and the palm to tell his/her love luck and if his/her marriage is good or bad. - A mole, a zit, the voice, the hair and the way a person walks are all essential clues to tell his/her luck.

This weighty monograph offers a thoughtful assessment of one of globally raising China’s most profound political issues—democratization since the 1989 Tiananmen Incident. Not exactly a “looking back” retrospective nor a typical commemorative work, this book harbors a more forward prospecting approach with 13 substantive chapters yielding informed analysis and insightful interpretations of various key issues. The core subjects range from legal foundation of Chinese democracy, middle-class politics, Internet based-democratization debates and pro-democratic mobilizations, civic society activism, to the external and international media’s inputs, democracy and China’s ethnic minorities; and PRC-Vatican interface. This timely volume will be of considerable interest to scholars, journalists, and those keen to learn about contemporary China’s ideo-political transformation.

目錄 自序／胡世銘 Author`s Introduction to his Work／Hu Shyh Ming 自然之音－閱讀胡世銘的繪畫創作世界／陶文岳 Sound of thw Nature－Understanding Hu Shyn Ming`s Painting Works／Tao Wen Yueh 生命條碼－觀胡世銘的繪畫／許遠達 Life BarCode－Observing Hu Shyh Ming`s Painting 內文 簡歷

A renowned biomedical engineering expert, H K Chang is also a champion of cross-cultural exchanges that enhance understanding and build links among nations and countries. Having studied the social and cultural developments of China and other countries for the past forty years, he narrates in twenty-one articles here his thoughts about world civilizations, culture and life, society, education as well as science and technology, and invites readers to join him on his intellectual and sentimental journey.

◎完整解析冶金煤（Coking Coal）与动力煤（Steam Coal）的物理与化学性质。 A comprehensive analysis of the physical and chemical properties of coking coal and steam coal. ◎结合作者在 HMS Bergbau AG 及波士顿咨询集团 (BCG) 的多年实战经验，将理论转化为交易与生产决策。 Drawing on years of hands-on experience at HMS Bergbau AG and The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the author translates theory into practical guidance for trading and production decision-making. ◎特别收录配煤技术、流动性指标（Fluidity-Temperature Area）等前沿研究与评价标准。 Includes in-depth coverage of advanced research and evaluation standards, such as coal blending techniques and liquidity indicators (Fluidity–Temperature Area). 一书在手，解读煤炭的化学密码与市场商机 One Book in Hand: Decoding the Chemical Secrets and Market Opportunities of Coal 在复杂多变的全球能源市场中，准确理解煤炭的物理与化学特性，是掌握利润与效率的核心关键。由国际能源经济学家乐思-谢倪考博士（Dr. Lars Schernikau）亲自撰写，《谢倪考的煤炭手册》为产业提供了前所未有的深度解析。 In an increasingly complex and volatile global energy market, a precise understanding of the physical and chemical properties of the resource coal is a critical key to maxi

The Global South – both as a concept and loosely defined collection of countries – has gained increasing traction in public and policy discourse. The ten BRICS+ countries are increasingly big players in economics, trade, and finance, as well as on geopolitical matters, climate change, and in multilateral institutions. Since its expansion to include five new countries, questions have arisen over the tenability and coherence of the grouping, as well as the extent to which divergences can be managed. Many non-BRICS+ nations and observers question whether BRICS+ can counterbalance the G7 countries. Though the impact of the BRICS+ as a geopolitical force remains to be seen, understanding BRICS+ is vital for policymakers and businesses across the world. Amid the growing role these powers play across the globe, academics must examine the past, present, and future of the BRICS+ countries. This compendium draws upon scholars across numerous continents, spheres, and disciplines, examining th

In an epic historical story that talks directly to our times, Cross and Dragon dramatizes the life of one of the most famous Western figures in China: Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci. Sent by the Pope in the late 16th century to convert the Chinese Emperor, Ricci was faced with a “mission impossible” as China in the Ming Dynasty did not allow foreigners to enter the country. Initially, dressed like a Buddhist monk, he slipped into the country, where he impressed everyone he met with his secret weapons: remarkable memory techniques and the latest Western science. He stayed for 30 years. During this time, his journey took him from southern China and rural life to the mesmerizing city of Nanking and on to Peking, where he eventually had an office in the Forbidden City. Through his belief in cultural engagement rather than military confrontation, he opened new doors for East–West understanding.

In Redefining Heresy and Tolerance, Hung Tak Wai examines how the Qing empire governed Muslims and Christians under its rule with a non-interventionist policy. Manchu emperors adopted a tolerant attitude towards Islam and Christianity as long as political stability and loyalty remained unthreatened. However, Hung argues that such tolerance had its limitations. Since the mid-eighteenth century, the Qing court intentionally minimised the importance of the Islamic identity. Restrictions were imposed on the Muslims’ external connections with Western Asia. The Christian minority was kept distant from politics and the Han majority. At the same time, Confucian scholars began to acquire a new understanding of religion, but they were not encouraged to get in touch with the Muslims and Christians. This book demonstrates how, from the late eighteenth to the early nineteenth century, the Qing government prevented Confucian scholar-bureaucrats from interfering in the religious life of Christians an

In Man in a Hurry: Murray MacLehose and Colonial Autonomy in Hong Kong, Ray Yep explores the latest available archival materials and re-examines MacLehose’s pivotal governorship in Hong Kong (1971–1982). MacLehose arrived in the challenging 1970s, when there were expectations for social reforms, uneasiness in the relationship between Hong Kong and London, and the 1997 factor looming large. The governor successfully carried out various social reforms and he also handled various major issues, including the anti-corruption campaign, the Vietnamese refugee crisis, and the granting of land lease of the New Territories beyond 1997. Yep unveils the tension and bargaining between the British government and explains how interest of the colony could be asserted, defended, and negotiated. This book is an important study of Hong Kong’s ‘golden years’ when the city’s economy took off. It is a significant contribution to our understanding of how local autonomy was defined.