G. J. de Groot

Born in Schiedam in 1854, Jan Jakob Maria de Groot was a Dutch sinologist and historian of religion. He studied Chinese in Leiden, then continued his research in China, especially in Amoy (now Xiamen), where he observed local beliefs and rituals closely.

That firsthand work shaped his best-known writing, including the multi-volume The Religious System of China. His books explored Chinese religion, social customs, and popular belief in unusual depth for their time, and helped establish him as an important European interpreter of Chinese culture.

De Groot later taught at Leiden University and then at the University of Berlin. He died in 1921, and he is still remembered for the scale of his scholarship and for bringing detailed study of Chinese religious life to a wide academic audience.