James Bertram's memoirs are a personal record of his experiences in New Zealand, Britain and China 1910-1980. Educated in New Zealand, he went to England as a Rhodes Scholar and then on to China in 1936, where he became a British correspondent during the Sian Rising and the months leading up to the Japanese invasion. He fought in the brief defence of Hong Kong and spent four years as a POW in Hong Kong and Tokyo. During his years in China he knew almost everyone of political consequence including Mao Tse-tung and developed a lasting affection for the land and its people.