In this Book
- East Sails West: The Voyage of the Keying, 1846–1855
- Book
- 2013
- Published by: Hong Kong University Press, HKU
summary
In December 1846, the Keying, a Chinese junk purchased by British investors, set sail from Hong Kong for London. Named after the Chinese Imperial Commissioner who had signed away Hong Kong to the British, manned by a Chinese and European crew, and carrying a traveling exhibition of Chinese items, the Keying had a troubled voyage. After quarrels on the way and a diversion to New York, culminating in a legal dispute over arrears of wages for Chinese members of the crew, it finally reached London in 1848, where it went on exhibition on the River Thames until 1853. It was then auc¬tioned off, towed to Liverpool, and finally broken up. In this account of the ship, the crew and the voyage, Stephen Davies tells a story of missed opportunities with an erratic course, overambitious aims, and achievements born of lucky breaks—a microcosm, in fact, of early Hong Kong and relations between China and the West.
Table of Contents
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- List of Illustrations
- pp. xiii-xvi
- Acknowledgements
- pp. xxiii-xxvi
- Part I. The Voyage of the Keying
- 2. The Ship’s Name
- pp. 53-62
- 3. The Crew and the Voyage to New York
- pp. 63-118
- 4. The Troubled Stay in New York
- pp. 119-144
- 5. The Final Leg—Towards Journey’s End
- pp. 145-164
- 6. Journey’s End: The London Stay
- pp. 165-172
- 7. The Endgame
- pp. 173-190
- Part II. The Ship Itself: Type, Build, Performance
- 8. What Kind of Vessel Was the Keying?
- pp. 193-206
- 10. The Keying’s Dimensions and Shape
- pp. 217-228
- 11. How Fast Could She Go?
- pp. 229-234
- Part III. The Scrapyard of History
- 12. Voyage Over
- pp. 237-242
- Appendix: The Images of the Keying
- pp. 243-254
- Bibliography
- pp. 307-322
Additional Information
ISBN
9789888268207
Related ISBN(s)
9789888208203
MARC Record
OCLC
872594061
Pages
368
Launched on MUSE
2014-03-13
Language
English
Open Access
No