As the People's Republic of China continues to become the subject of intense political, cultural and economic interest, Ways of Seeing China offers a timely critique of the ways that Australians have seen China. The book offers a highly readable history of the Australia-China relationship, thirty years after establishment of diplomatic relations. Kendall draws on a diverse range of materials including novels, government documents, dossiers, travelogues, public polls, politicians, pronouncements, and oral history to convincingly argue that we continually recycle six storytelling forms, all of which use ethnocentric and orientalist fears to enunciate various 'truths', or ways of seeing cultural and political difference. The three cultural storytelling forms are the fear of invasion, captivity, and adventure, and the three political forms are containment, engagement, and multiculturalism.