The two Taiwan Strait crises took place during a particularly tense period of the Cold War. Although each incident was relatively brief their consequences loom large. Based on analyses of newly available documents from Beijing Taipei and Washington Pang Yang Huei challenges conventional wisdom that claims SinoUS misperceptions of each others strategic concerns were critical in the 1950s. He underscores the fact that Washington Taipei and Beijing were actually aware of one anothers strategic intentions during the crises. He also demonstrates conclusively that both crises can be understood as a transformation from tacit communication to tacit accommodation. An important contribution of this study is a better understanding of the role of ritual symbols and gestures in international relations. While it is true that these two crises resulted in a stalemate the fact that all parties were able to cultivate talks and negotiations brought relations especially between the US and China to a new and more stable level. Simply averting the threat of war was a major achievement. Strait Rituals is an important microhistory of a significant moment during the Cold War and a rich interpretation of the theoretical use of multiple points of view in writing history. It sets a new standard for understanding Chinas place in the world.