Westerners in China : a history of exploration and trade, ancient times through the present / by Foster Stockwell.

Some basic facts about China -- Those who came by three Silk Roads -- China's first contacts with the West -- The legacy of Marco Polo -- Jesuits in China -- Prized goods from China -- Early Western exploration in Tibet and Yunnan -- Aftermath of the Opium War -- Americans and the China trade -- Role of missionaries in exploration, trade, and culture in China -- Przhevalsky : the man and the horse -- Distaff explorers -- The last imperialist -- Cities buried in sand -- Rocks and culture -- An American dinosaur hunter -- The giant panda argument -- The communist revolution -- The New Zealander who won the hearts of the Chinese -- Rapid growth of China's economy -- Illusion and reality.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 219-221) and index.

"This book traces Western exploration in and trade with China to the present day. It follows such highlights as exploration by the Russian Nikolay Przhevalsky; the travels of nineteenth-century women explorers; American Roy Chapman's discovery of the first fossilized dinosaur eggs; and the competition between two American explorers to be the first to capture a live panda. Also included is a chronology of Chinese history."--BOOK JACKET.