author
Joseph Edkins
1823–1905
A British missionary and scholar who spent most of his life in China, he wrote widely on Chinese language, religion, and philosophy. His work helped introduce Chinese thought to English-language readers in the nineteenth century.
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About the author
Born in Gloucestershire in 1823, Joseph Edkins became a Protestant minister and was sent to China by the London Missionary Society. He arrived in 1848 and remained there for 57 years, including three decades in Beijing, building a reputation as both a missionary and a serious student of Chinese culture.
Edkins is best remembered as a sinologist, linguist, translator, and prolific writer. He studied Chinese religions closely, especially Buddhism, and published books that explored Chinese language, philosophy, and belief with unusual depth for his time.
He died in Shanghai in 1905. Today he is remembered for the long bridge he tried to build between Britain and China through scholarship as well as mission work.