"The experience of the 19th century is relevant to today and it has a value. If we understand the 19th century, then we are better able to understand what is happening in China today," says the publisher.

Far fewer Chinese mastered English back then, compared with today, which is why most of the books are written by foreigners. But Earnshaw also found a unique book in English written by Yung Wing, "My Life in China and America," first published in 1909.

The author, born in South China before the Opium Wars, was the first Chinese to graduate from a major US college - Yale - in 1854. He returned to China and witnessed the turbulence in the 19th century.

Understanding both China and the West, he looked for ways to help his own country become stronger. And he wrote the history of his life in English. Earnshaw sees it as "a very special way of seeing into the minds of the 19th century."

"To understand the past, we are better able to interpret the present and also to forecast the future," concludes Earnshaw.

Earnshaw, fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, translated Jin Yong's (Louis Cha) first serialized wuxia (martial art) book, "The Book and the Sword," first published in 1955.

Earnshaw is also walking to Tibet, chatting with people along the way and writing a book about his own adventures.