This wonderful book, full of the peace and confident Anglo-Saxon arrogance of the pre-Great War world, was published in 1906. It takes as its starting point the houseboats on which wealthy Shanghailanders spent their weekends, cruising the canals and waterways that criss-crossed the countryside around the city. But it is in fact about much more than that. It is a window into the thoughts and interests of an English gentleman in Shanghai back when the world, for such a person, offered few uncertainities. 1 - The Boat and its Pidgin 2 - The Lowdah and His Crew 3 - The Menage afloat 4 - Of Dogs 5 - The Nearer Hunting-Grounds 6 - The Quarry 7 - The Lord of the Soil 8 - The Ethics of Houseboat Travel 9 - Of the Eternal Feminine 10 - Of Ducks, Rain, and other Matters 11- Missionaries, Mandarins, and Morals 12 - On the Hypnotic Influence of the P'utzu 13 - Preparations for a Grand Sortie 14 - To the Chientang River 15 - Discipline on Board the Ark 16 - Of Riverside Memories 17 - Of Smuggling and some Aspects of the Art of Government 18 - Of Spring Snipe and the coming of the Railway 19 - Of Geese and a Dead City 20 - Of Books and Poetry and Babus 21 - On coming Home All content is copyright unless otherwise indicated