Paperback edition of a historical and cultural study of the developing relationship between China and Australia, based on 25 years of research and first published in 1992. The first of two volumes (the other to be entitled 'Citizens'), it chronologically ends in 1888 but often explains the past with reference to contemporary China. Topics range from the opium trade to the impact of Chinese migrants on colonial administration, and include the Chinese preoccupation with food and cooking. Includes a detailed bibliography for each chapter and an index. The author is a poet and author of non-fiction, including 'A Million Wild Acres' and 'Celebration of the Senses'. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to literature and the environment in 1992.