As I was reading this I couldn't help but imagine already that the reviews on Goodreads would be full of accusations of racial insensitivity. I don't think it is at all.

The China that he saw is very different from the one we might experience today, and I imagine there was a lot to be shocked by. And yet he greets each of these shocks not with malice or despair, but with genuine amusement and curiosity. I don't think anyone who is genuinely curious can be racist.

Anyway, I found this a joy to read, and that's all that really matters.