Kerry Brown for The Great Reversal

Join us for an evening with Professor Kerry Brown to discuss his new book, The Great Reversal. The relationship between Britain and China has shaped the modern world. Chinese art, philosophy and science have had a profound effect upon British culture, while the long history of British exploitation is still bitterly remembered in China today. But how has their interaction changed over time?

From the early days of the East India Company through the violence of the Opium Wars to present-day disputes over Hong Kong, Kerry Brown charts this turbulent and intriguing relationship in full. Britain has always sought to dominate China economically and politically, while China's ideas and exports-from tea and Chinoiserie to porcelain and silk-have continued to fascinate in the west. But by the later twentieth century, the balance of power began to shift in China's favour, with global consequences. Brown shows how these interactions changed the world order-and argues that an understanding of Britain's relationship with China is now more vital than ever.

"This is a beautifully written and meticulously researched account of Britain's interaction with China over the centuries from when Britain was the assertive superpower and China was weak and decaying to the uncomfortable present when China is the assertive superpower."- Sir Vince Cable, author of Money and Power

Kerry Brown is professor of Chinese studies and director of the Lau China Institute at King's College London. He is the author of over twenty books on modern Chinese politics, history, and society.