Weihaiwei, a small British-held territory on the Shantung promontory, served its colonial officer as a miniature of rural China. Johnston describes its history and legends, the workings of British rule and the local courts, land tenure, festivals, the lives of women and widows, family graveyards, ghost stories and Confucian practice, all drawn from close daily dealings with the villagers.
Johnston later became tutor to Puyi, the last emperor of China; this is his most detailed portrait of Chinese country life. Download the free EPUB.