audiobook The Golden Age: Synagogues of Spain in History and Architecture by Meir Ben-Dov in History

Description

In December 1846; the Keying; a Chinese junk purchased by British investors; set sail from Hong Kong for London. Named after the Chinese Imperial Commissioner who had signed away Hong Kong to the British; manned by a Chinese and European crew; and carrying a travelling exhibition of Chinese items; the Keying had a troubled voyage. After quarrels on the way and a diversion to New York; culminating in a legal dispute over arrears of wages for Chinese members of the crew; it finally reached London in 1848; where it went on exhibition on the River Thames until 1853. It was then auctioned off; towed to Liverpool; and finally broken up. In this account of the ship; the crew and the voyage; Stephen Davies tells a story of missed opportunities; with an erratic course; overambitious aims; and achievements born of lucky breaks―a microcosm; in fact; of early Hong Kong and of the relations between China and the West.