My Life in China & America

Yung Wing was unique. He was born in southern China in 1828, before the Opium Wars, and became the first Chinese person to graduate from a major US college. He then returned to his country to participate in and witness the convulsions of 19th century China, and also wrote about it in English in this fascinating and highly readable book.

This book is a glimpse into the world of China in the mid and late 19th century, at the crucial moment when this ancient and closed civilization was being forced to accept the existence of the West and its superiority in science, trade and military technology.