Much as he did in Sarum and Paris, Edward Rutherfurd balances intimate human experiences with the epic sweep of history, this time chronicling the clash of East and West in China's Middle Kingdom, which shattered the stability of the 2,000-year-old empire. Rutherfurd brings to life the travails of villagers, warriors, eunuchs, pirates, and philosophers—as well as British soldiers and missionaries—all caught up in the drama of the Opium Wars, the Boxer Rebellion, and the revolution of 1911.