This is an unexpectedly delightful book, written in an authoritative but very accessible fashion. It’s as if the reader were sitting down with a friend who is an enthusiastic expert on a subject that is opened up through the clear and educated discussion. The pace of the narrative is brisk, without ever seeming superficial. While there is foreshadowing, sometimes acknowledged explicitly, of the eventual outcome (the founding of Hong Kong) it comes across as more of a compliment to the reader’s intelligence or knowledge than if there were a false drama introduced. The point of view is evidently British, though not unquestioningly so, and if anything seems to rest sympathetically with Macao and the Portuguese. The story is a fascinating one, ,more so because of its inclusion of the Chinese perspective, with pains being taken to illuminate the significance of mandarin pragmatism (and professionalism) and the importance of Chinese world view as a motive for actions otherwise inscrutable to Westerners of the day, and perhaps today as well. It would be worthwhile to learn whether the author has explored other aspects of the interface between West and East. ( )