Crescent over Cathay: China and ICI, 1898 to 1956

by Patrick Brodie

This is the first book about the operations of ICI and its predecessors in China. Based on unrestricted access to the company's archives, on interviews, and on private papers, it tells the story, as far as possible, in the words of the participants. It includes many previously unpublished photographs. The operations in China began at the end of the nineteenth century and continued for just over fifty years, a turbulent era in which China experienced almost every type of calamity - revolution, civil war, banditry, piracy, foreign invaders, famine, flood, and drought. ICI nevertheless continued its activities in China until 1956, when the communist authorities expropriated the company's assets and evicted foreign business people. Today, ICI again has offices in Peking and Shanghai. Patrick Brodie, a graduate of the London School of Economics, joined ICI General Chemicals Division in 1948 after war service as a tank officer, for which he was awarded the MC. He transferred to the company's Far East Department in 1965 and served as a director of ICI (China) Ltd. and ICI (Japan) Ltd. He travelled widely in the Far East until his retirement in 1983. He is married with three children.

294 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1990