A tale of betrayal

Betrayed Ally (China in the Great War) is coauthored by Frances Wood and Christopher Arnander. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Wood is a Sinologist who has written more than 12 books on Chinese themes. She was born in London in 1948. After art school in Liverpool, she studied Chinese at Newnham College, Cambridge and the universities of Peking and London, where she got a doctorate in philosophy in Chinese. In 1977, she joined the British Library and became curator of the Chinese collections.

Arnander was educated at Harrow School and Oriel College, Oxford, where he studied classics. He taught classics at a school in Scarborough and the University of Minnesota. From 1957, he pursued a banking career in the City of London, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. His Pavilions in the Air is an illustrated collection of Chinese and English proverbs, coauthored with Wood.

China was on the cusp of change and this was accelerated by Versailles.

When news arrived that Japan's imperial wishes had prevailed over China, riots led by students broke out outside the Gate of Heavenly Peace in Beijing.

One of the first battles was fought on Chinese soil, after a violation of sovereignty.

Japan, who threw in its lot with the Allies early on, landed its soldiers near Qingdao, a German concession, on Sept 18, 1914.

The Japanese were outside the area designated as the concession and, like the Germans in Belgium, violated China's neutrality by marching an army across neutral territory.

Great Britain was not jingoistic about the campaign, to say the least.

General Barnardiston's small body of men was officially sent in order to "show cooperation" and Barnardiston was informed that he was to take orders from the Japanese, a fact kept conveniently quiet in London.