Hostage on the Yangtze; Britain, China, and the Amethyst Crisis of 1949
by: Murfett, Malcolm H.

Hardcover. Annapolis MD, Naval Institute Press, 2nd pr., 1991, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 313 pages. Red cloth covers, gilt titles, red dust jacket with color illustration, b&w maps and illustrations. Slight wear to dust jacket, pages crisp and unmarked, tight binding; overall, a clean, tight copy. In 1949, as the Chinese Civil War was about to enter its final, explosive stage, the small British frigate HMS Amethyst was sent on a dangerous mission up the Yangtze River to protect British citizens in Nanking. En route it was attacked by the Chinese Communists and held hostage on the river for several months before the crew managed to make a daring escape. The Amethyst captured news headlines around the world and became an unlikely symbol of the cold war in Asia. This dramatic episode, hailed in the West as a triumph of the human spirit but bitterly condemned by the Chinese Communists, was to prejudice Anglo-Chinese relations for years to come.