Ghosts of the China Coast

Which U.S. president’s family built their fortune on opium? Did the Jesuits teach the Chinese how to build better machines? Was Chiang Kai-shek a hit man for Shanghai mobsters? The answers to these and other questions are found in this rollicking history of China. Exploring the nation’s tempestuous relationship with the outside world, this account exposes a blunt and often hilarious past of missteps and mishaps. Told from the perspective of marginalized groups and peoples, this is a compilation of all the gossip, scandal, and intrigue that were deemed too steamy even for the front pages.