When America First Met China -- by Eric Jay Dolin

 

It's good to catch an author at the top of his/her game, and Eric Jay Dolin is there and has been for some time.

It was a very good read. My only suggestion is possible there could have been more shorter chapters. I had to fight myself to do other things like laundry or go to the bathroom. The content was pretty engrossing for me, especially after having lived a relatively short distance from Guangzhou, old Canton, for six years.

Dolan's extensive research revealed much of the accidental, and intentional events in The China Trade. More people involved in current events involving that country owe it to themselves to deepen their basic knowledge, and Dolin leads a good study of several reasons why the people, and attitudes are as they are.

There were many things in business, the military, and social things that occurred to shape this relationship between the U.S. and China, as well as the other countries involved.

One very important chapter in this relationship was the shameful Coolie Trade. I don't remember reading about in school, not even in California. Dolin reminds us here that you aren't going to learn much history only reading what you get in school textbooks. Too much politics there.

America's role in the English-dominated Opium Trade is also exposed. It wasn't a nice, quiet little story here. It was rather grisly. Some people got rich, but a lot of people also died.