Graham Earnshaw was born in England but has lived most of his adult life in the China world. He speaks Cantonese, Shanghainese and Mandarin and has been a journalist, writer and publisher. His translation of the kung fu novel The Book and The Sword into English was published in 2004 by Oxford University Press. Other books he has written include Life and Death of a Dotcom in China and Tales of Old Shanghai.

"After so much legwork and countless chats, Earnshaw knows China better than most Chinese people do. Some of his best strolls take him past the massive Three Gorges Dam and across reform-through-labour prison-farms. Long before the final page, his readers too know China much better than before." -- Cairns Media Magazine

"Earnshaw presents a first hand look at the lives and experiences of local villagers, dealing with the huge transformations of China today." -- Global Times

"A ramble into a country's heart and soul... Earnshaw's deceptively simple travelogue reveals the complexities of an eternal China coming to terms with the forces of change. Lyrical, witty and wise, The Great Walk of China will rank among the great travel classics." -- Adam Williams, author of The Emperor's Bones