“This is the perfect companion to any Beijing guidebook… Through every account, whether humorous, awed or scholarly, breathes a sense of wonder.”
Adam Williams - author of The Palace of Heavenly Pleasure

China's capital has always been viewed as one of the world's most mysterious cities. It was a forbidden city for hundreds of years for Westerners, but its role as the capital of the world’s greatest empire has made it the focus of enormous curiosity since the days of Marco Polo in the 13th century.

This book, the second in the 'Tales' series, recreates a sense of old Peking through a pastiche of historical snippets – stories, quotations, cartoons, postcards and drawings. It tells of when Peking was a flashpoint of confrontation between very different yet equally headstrong cultures, including the perilous 55-day siege of the foreign legations during the Boxer Rebellion.

Who is Derek Sandhaus?

Derek Sandhaus was born in Overland Park, Kansas and studied philosophy at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Based out of Shanghai since 2006, he has a strong passion for Chinese history, having written pieces on the subject for magazines, blogs and podcasts. He has worked in various fields including education and public relations, and currently serves as Chief Editor for Earnshaw Books.