This collection of articles transcends our usual time markers by covering the period from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. Crossing the traditional historical barriers can often lead to new discoveries. When we explore interactions beyond traditional borders we often find continuities where there were previously only divisions and similarities where there were only differences. The case studies in this volume discuss a wide range of topics from economics, cross-dressing and extraterritoriality to personal biographies, Chinese art and Confucian education. They provide a broad view of China’s interactions with the outside world over a 150-year period.