On a Chinese Screen, published in 1922, is a collection of short, impressionistic sketches by W. Somerset Maugham based on his travels through China. These vignettes offer observations on Chinese culture, colonial attitudes, expatriate life, and the clash between East and West. Maugham’s sharp prose, cultural curiosity, and occasional cynicism provide a nuanced, if sometimes dated, portrait of early 20th-century China. The book is less about plot and more about mood, atmosphere, and cultural encounter.
