# II: At a Treaty Port explained — On a Chinese Screen

> Chapter companion for On a Chinese Screen by W. Somerset Maugham.

## What happens

The chapter depicts a formal dinner party at a treaty port, where the opulent setting contrasts with the tedious conversation and mutual boredom of the expatriate community. The guests, all business figures and their wives, are trapped in a cycle of repetitive social obligations, avoiding any meaningful discussion about China or abstract topics.

## Themes in this chapter

### Colonial Ennui and Isolation

The dinner party highlights the boredom and isolation of the expatriate community, trapped in repetitive social rituals and unable to engage with their surroundings.

### Hypocrisy and Moral Compromise

The guests wear evening clothes uneasily, as if performing a duty to their country, while avoiding any genuine connection or understanding of China.

## Character check-ins

### Jardine

Number one at Jardine's, present at the dinner party with his wife.

## Key lines

> There was about the party a splendour which has vanished from the dinner tables of England.

The dinner party had a grandeur that is no longer seen in English dining rooms.

_Sets the scene of opulence and nostalgia for a bygone era._

> They were bored to death with one another.

They found each other extremely tedious.

_Captures the pervasive ennui among the expatriates._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/on_a_chinese_screen_se/chapters/ii-at-a-treaty-port
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/on_a_chinese_screen_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/on_a_chinese_screen_se/chapters