author
S. Wells (Samuel Wells) Williams
1812–1884
An American missionary, diplomat, and pioneering interpreter of China, he helped English-speaking readers understand Chinese language and culture in the nineteenth century. His books and translation work made him an important bridge between the United States and East Asia.
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About the author
Born in Utica, New York, in 1812, he trained at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute before sailing to China in 1833 to manage a missionary printing press. Over the years he became known not just as a missionary, but as a linguist and scholar with deep knowledge of Chinese language and society.
He spent decades in East Asia and took on several roles, including printer, translator, teacher, and later diplomat. He served as an interpreter for Commodore Matthew Perry's expedition to Japan and later worked with the U.S. legation in China, experiences that placed him close to major moments in nineteenth-century American relations with East Asia.
He is especially remembered for books such as The Middle Kingdom and for his Chinese-language scholarship, including a major dictionary project. By the time of his death in 1884, he had built a reputation as one of the most influential American sinologists of his era.