ULRIKE HILLEMANN holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge, UK. Her research interests include the history of ideas and cultural history of British imperial expansion in Asia and the development of universities in the context of European imperial expansion. She currently works at Imperial College London.

'A timely and innovative analysis of the ways in which British interests engaged with, represented and 'manufactured' China' for British metropolitan consumption during the nineteenth century. It expands our knowledge of British imperial networks and activities in new and vital directions and points to significant legacies of the West's colonial engagement with the East.' - Alan Lester, University of Sussex, UK

• Introduction The Origin of Language A Diplomatic Expedition South and Southeast Asian Encounters Asian Networks and the British Isles Epilogue