The Gate to China

'You can understand a lot about China's relations with the rest of the world ... by looking at how the leadership in Beijing has dealt with Hong Kong ...The Gate to China meticulously details why this is so ... in this very readable book Sheridan takes the reader through the tortuous Sino-British negotiations that led to the handover ... impressive ... fascinating' Sunday Times 'Highly readable ... Sheridan covers the Sino-British negotiations over Hong Kong's future in engaging detail...he adds colour to existing accounts ... provides a welcome contrast to many of the existing histories of the period' Literary Review 'An authoritative history of Hong Kong and its relations with the UK and China ... even-handed ... Analyses with a wealth of documentary evidence the motivations of Chinese leaders in seeking to reverse historical humiliation' Financial Times 'Sheridan's gripping and richly researched history sheds a highly critical light on those British officials of the Thatcher era who seemed to favour Beijing's autocracy over the promotion of liberal values and movingly recounts the brief hopes of Hong Kong's reformers whose democratic enlightenment has turned to darkness' Rana Mitter, BBC History Magazine 'Authoritative ... Hong Kong's story is full of drama, politics and personalities and Sheridan tells it well, drawing from a wide variety of Chinese and British sources' Observer 'Sheridan's account testifies to the Western dreams about China and to the ways they are shattered ... The Gate to China details the regime's use of its cyber-capabilities to monitor dissent, block communications and even interfere with efforts to measure public sentiment in Hong Kong' Washington Post 'A delightful piece of writing and research' Jasper Becker 'Deeply researched and beautifully written ... Essential reading for anyone interested in the saga of a city whose fate has dominated the headlines' Mike Chinoy