author
Sir Alexander Hosie
1853–1925
A Scottish diplomat, traveler, and writer who spent decades in China, he turned first-hand experience into vivid books about the country’s landscapes, trade, and society. His work blends official knowledge with the curiosity of an explorer.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in 1853, Sir Alexander Hosie was a Scottish diplomat who built much of his career in the British consular service in China. Reliable sources describe him as a diplomat, traveller, writer, and botanical collector, and his life’s work was closely tied to understanding western China, Manchuria, and the opium trade.
Hosie is best remembered for the books and reports he produced from those years of travel and service. His writing drew on journeys through remote regions and on-the-ground observation, giving readers a detailed picture of Chinese commerce, resources, and everyday life at the turn of the twentieth century.
He died in 1925, but his work still attracts interest from readers curious about travel writing, imperial history, and China’s regional past. For modern listeners, his books offer the perspective of someone who was not just passing through, but deeply engaged with the places he described.