To Lhasa and beyond: Thomas Manning and the making of early British sinology

Although chiefly remembered for reaching Lhasa in 1811, Thomas Manning’s deeper ambition lay in the study of China. At a time when the teaching of Chinese in Europe was minimal and institutional support non-existent, Manning engaged seriously with Chinese literature and thought, pursuing language studies as an independent scholar in Napoleonic France and then in China itself.

Drawing on his notebooks, translations, and correspondence, this talk reassesses Manning’s distinctive place in the early history of British Sinology and situates his geographical travels within a larger intellectual project: to encounter China on its own linguistic and conceptual terms.

About the speaker

Dr Edward Weech is the Librarian at the Royal Asiatic Society.

The Royal Asiatic Society was founded in 1823, inspired by the model of Sir William Jones’s Asiatic Society of Bengal. From its earliest days, one of the chief ways the Society sought to promote research and interest into the histories and cultures of Asia was by establishing and making available its historic collection of rare books, manuscripts, and artworks.

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