Thomas Watters

Born in Newtownards, County Down, on February 9, 1840, he was educated at home by his father before studying at Queen's College, Belfast, and Queen's University. He entered the British consular service in China in 1863 and spent more than three decades in the Far East, with postings that included Beijing, Korea, Guangzhou, and Fuzhou.

Alongside his diplomatic career, he built a reputation as an Oriental scholar with a deep interest in Chinese language, philosophy, Buddhism, and everyday customs. His books and essays include Lao-Tzû: A Study in Chinese Philosophy, Essays on the Chinese Language, and Stories of Everyday Life in Modern China, as well as the posthumously published On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India.

What makes his writing still appealing is its mix of scholarship and lived experience. He wrote not as a distant theorist, but as someone who had spent years observing the people and traditions he described, and that gives his work both detail and warmth.