A brilliant polymath and part of the ‘first wave’ of British Romanticism, Thomas Manning was one of the first Englishmen to study Chinese language and culture. Like other early Romantics, Manning was inspired by the French Revolution and had ambitious plans for making a better world. While friends and contemporaries like Wordsworth and Coleridge turned to the poetic imagination and the English countryside, Manning looked further afield - to China, one of the world's most ancient and sophisticated civilizations. His travels included the salons of Napoleonic Paris, a period as a prisoner of war, a dramatic shipwreck and, disguised as a Buddhist pilgrim, a trek through the Himalayas to Tibet, where he met the Dalai Lama. Manning’s extraordinary story sheds new light on English Romanticism and the story of how and why British people have sought to learn about other cultures.

The Speaker

Dr Edward Weech has been Librarian at the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland since 2014. He has published essays and reviews in publications including the Literary Review and the Times Literary Supplement. His first book, Chinese Dreams in Romantic England: The Life and Times of Thomas Manning was published by Manchester University Press in November 2022.

Venue: Online Event

Admission: Zoom links are free for members of RASHK and sister societies only. Non-members are welcome depending on availability.

Registration: Please email membership@royalasiaticsociety.org.hk and provide your membership number, if applicable, at the time of registration. Registration will be closed at 12 noon on 19 June 2023.

Zoom links will be sent before or by 1pm on 12 June 2023.