Patrick Wright (1) (1951–)

And a very British history of the mission it is too - and to be honest its not immediately clear why Patrick Wright would go into such detail about the 3 British missions to China in the mid 50s encouraged by the "come and see" invitation of Chou-En Lai . To be honest I thought it would be funnier and whilst its extremely well researched, some of the characters are interesting (Stanley Spencer and his insistence on wearing pyjamas below his suit) and some of the behaviour eccentric (predictable over indulgence in alcohol at Chinese banquets in particular) what the teams mainly do is spend a very long time getting to China via Russia and most of central Asia, and then go on lots of tours of tractor factories and the ilk before getting drunk at official banquet. All a bit dull, predictable, very British but not eccentric enough,… (more)

First published in 1985 and republished in 2009 with a preface and afterword. Not an easy read and, even with the additions, is definitely of its time. But worth it. Patrick Wright uses contemporary events to ask questions of the role of history and how we view heritage. A book to make you think about the towns, buildings and landscapes around you. How you view them and what impact they have on you. A book that prompts you to reconsider an establishment view of the past and how it effects our lives today.… (more)