Investigating and Writing about the Margary Affair

Chapter 2 discusses how the local gentry’s role in borderlands consolidation and defence affected the decisions of Qing officials in Anglo-Chinese negotiations to settle the Margary Affair. This chapter also draws attention to the competing narratives documenting the Margary Affair since the late nineteenth century, which underscores the patriotism and contribution of different groups of state agents and civilians who countered the British.