Stephen Platt is one of the exciting young Sinologists emerging from the US.
These are 2 of his most recent books. Both, in my view, presented deeper research into Chinese sources compared to earlier works.
Poser- did Lord Macartney do the kowtow to Emperor Qianlong?
Platt has delved into the records of Emperor Jiaqing to provide more supporting details (see p 166- 168, Imperial Twilight 2019 Vintage Ed)