This is quite an old book published in the 1890s, which is not the most glorious time for China. Like most people from that era, the author is inevitably biased and can be called a racist by today’s standards. Nevertheless it was kind of useful to see what changed and what remained the same over the last 150 years. 

Things that changed: the impreciseness, the difficulty in communicating with a foreigner, the value for time instead of efficiency. 

Things that remained much the same: the need for “face”, the importance of education, etc.

Unfortunately, I didn’t finish the book. It’s mildly interesting, but a bit too outdated for my taste and I didn’t get too much information that beated my expectations.

3/5