China and the Chinese

"China and the Chinese" consists of a number of Lectures that were delivered during March, 1902, at Columbia University, in the city of New York. They may serve to record an important and interesting departure in Oriental studies. It is not pretended that Chinese scholarship will be in any way advanced by this publication. The Lectures, slight in themselves, were never meant for advanced students, but rather to draw attention to, and possibly arouse some interest in, a subject which will occupy a larger space in the future than in the present or in the past. This book is enjoyable to read for anyone interested in Chinese culture. The writing is highly conversational; breaking up information into easily digestible bits. Many observations he made are as relevant today as they were almost 110 years ago, while the others are completely outdated.