Book Talk with Mark O’Neill
Monday 29th June 18:00 | Drawing Room | £10 per person*
*Includes a glass of wine on arrival
Join Mark O’Neill for a fascinating book talk exploring one of the most extraordinary foreign lives ever lived in China, and discover the story behind a powerful and complex figure who helped shape modern Chinese history. Copies of the book will be available for sale at the talk.
Joint Publishing has just released the second edition of “Ireland’s Imperial Mandarin”, a biography of Sir Robert Hart, one of the most important foreigners in the history of China.
Sir Robert Hart served as the Inspector-General of the Imperial Maritime Customs Service of the Qing Dynasty from 1863 until his death in 1911. No foreigner has ever had, or will ever have, the life he had in China. He provided the government with more than 20 per cent of its annual revenue, set up the Chinese Post Office, founded a system of lighthouses along the coast, bought British warships that became the foundation of the Chinese navy, and negotiated a peace treaty to end the Sino-French War of 1894–95. He was a trusted confidant of government leaders, who constantly sought his advice on how to deal with aggressive and meddling foreigners. His personal life was just as dramatic. He had a Chinese lady, Miss Ayaou, with whom he had three children. He sent them to be brought up by a foster family in London. He later married an Irish lady from his home place; they also had three children.
About the Author
Mark O’Neill was born in London, England, the son of an Irish father and Scottish mother. He was educated at Marlborough College and New College, Oxford. He worked in Washington, DC, Manchester and Belfast before coming to Hong Kong in 1978. In Belfast, he covered the Troubles and learnt about his family and their history. He has lived in Asia ever since. He worked as a journalist for 30 years here, in Taiwan, India, the PRC and Japan, for Reuters, SCMP and many other publications. Since 2006, he has been writing books on Chinese, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau history and society. He has completed 21 in English, four of them on Irish topics. Eight have been translated into traditional Chinese and three into simplified Chinese. He speaks French, Mandarin and Cantonese.
Please see the website of his books: www.mark-oneill.com