Reginald Johnston

Chinese Mandarin

Shiona Airlie; National Museums of Scotland

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The first complete biography of explorer, writer and colonial eccentric, Reginald Johnston. An Edinburgh lad, Johnston entered the colonial service, first as a cadet in Hong Kong and then as a district officer in north-east China, a post which enabled him to travel extensively. He explored large areas of China, studied the language and culture and adopted Buddhism. In 1919 Johnston was appointed tutor and adviser to the last Emperor of China and as such was the only foreigner working in the Forbidden City, where centuries old customs prevailed and corruption was rife. Shiona Airlie has had unprecedented access to Johnston's unpublished letters and photographs to tell his unique and remarkable story.