Kingsley Bolton uses early word lists, satirical cartoons and data from journals and memoirs to uncover the forgotten history of English in China, from the arrival of the first English-speaking traders in the early seventeenth century to the present. Demonstrating how contemporary Hong Kong English has its historical roots in Chinese pidgin English, the book considers the changing status of English in mainland China over time, particularly recent developments since 1997. 'Bolton's Chinese Englishes presents us with a detailed and insightful account of English in Hong Kong and southern China from linguistic, sociolinguistic, and historical perspectives. In this respect, it is a unique contribution to the literature on World Englishes, which has so far largely ignored the historical dimensions of varieties of English around the world. It is clearly a book that anyone interested in this area of research should own, not least because it is likely to become the standard source of reference for future research on the English of China. At the same time, it should be of considerable interest to others in the field of World Englishes for the comprehensive and radically historical approach that it takes to its subject matter.' Journal of English Language and Linguistics Explores the spread of English in China from the seventeenth century to the present day. Kingsley Bolton is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Hong Kong, where he lectures on sociolinguistics and World Englishes. He has published a number of books and articles on sociolinguistics, Asian Englishes, Hong Kong English, Chinese pidgin English, and Chinese secret societies.