The novelist, Edward Rutherfurd, has written a new book simply called 'China' which is set in the China of the 19th century, covering such themes as The Opium Wars with Britain and The Boxer Rebellion of 1900.
History Books I have picked out, which may be of interest are:-
The Scramble for China by Robert Bickers
China by John Keay
Modern China by Rana Mitter (in Oxford's Very Short Introduction Series)
The Opium War by Julia Lovell
China's War with Japan by Rana Mitter
Dragon Empress by Marina Warner ( a life of the Empress Xixi)
Mao by Philip Short (one of the cleverest people I have known - Philip that is of course!)
On Britain and its Empire in General:-
Empire by Denis Judd
Empire by Jeremy Paxman (a light but nonetheless interesting read)