Area Studies: China and Southeast Asia

The collection contains a varied array of records of traders, travellers, missionaries and diplomats, from the mid-seventeenth century to the late twentieth century, offering Western perspectives on all aspects of Chinese culture and society. Highlights include:

* British government records covering economic development in China and its neighbours, 1950-1980
* Correspondence from the Macartney Embassy, the first British diplomatic mission to China, 1892-94
* The diaries, notebooks and published writings of Rewi Alley (1897-1987), New Zealand educator and industrial organiser in communist China