author
George Ernest Morrison
1862–1920
An Australian journalist, traveler, and political adviser, he became one of the best-known Western observers of China in the early 20th century. His life joined adventure, reporting, and diplomacy in a way that still feels remarkable.
1 Audiobook
An Australian in China : Being the narrative of a quiet journey across China to Burma
by George Ernest Morrison
About the author
Born in Geelong, Australia, in 1862, George Ernest Morrison studied medicine but became famous for his restless curiosity and taste for difficult journeys. Early walking expeditions across Australia and later travels in Asia helped build his reputation as a bold observer with a gift for vivid reporting.
He is best remembered as The Times correspondent in Peking, a role he held from the late 1890s into the early 1910s. His dispatches gave English-speaking readers a close view of major events in China, and his deep knowledge of the region eventually led him into public service as a political adviser to the government of the Republic of China during World War I.
Morrison was also a serious collector of books and manuscripts on Asia, assembling an important library that reflected the breadth of his interests. He died in 1920, but he remains a striking figure in the history of journalism: part reporter, part adventurer, and part intermediary between China and the West.