The origins of China's awareness of New Zealand, 1674-1911

This book by William Tai Yuen, an Honorary Research Associate at the New Zealand Asia Institute (NZAI), traces the origins and process of China's growing awareness of New Zealand through the centuries up to the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. The first piece of information about New Zealand and Australia was introduced to China in 1674 by Ferdinand Verbiest, a Flemish Jesuit, through his world map Kunyu Quantu, the first map in the world showing the insularity of New Zealand. William's book follows China's growing awareness of New Zealand from the early nineteenth century through a variety of media, including the works of the Western missionaries, throwing new light on the general process of China's growing awareness of the Western World. He describes the experiences of the early Chinese settlers in New Zealand as the sources of information fed back to their homeland in China. He also traces the eventual establishment of the Chinese consulates in Australia and New Zealand.