Ki-tong Tcheng

Born in 1851 in Fujian, Tcheng Ki-tong, also known as Chen Jitong, was a Chinese diplomat, scholar, and writer active during the late Qing dynasty. He studied at the school attached to the Fuzhou shipyard, learned French, and was later sent to Europe, where he served the Qing government and became well known in French-speaking circles.

Alongside his diplomatic work, he wrote books that introduced Chinese society and customs to Western readers in an accessible, often witty style. Works associated with him include The Chinese Painted by Themselves, Bits of China, and The Chinese Empire, Past and Present. His writing stood out because he did more than explain China abroad—he also turned an observant eye on European life.

Tcheng Ki-tong died in 1907, but his work remains notable for its early cross-cultural voice. He helped shape how late nineteenth-century readers in Europe encountered Chinese thought, manners, and everyday life, and his books still feel valuable as records of a person translating one world to another.