Houseboat Days in China - Paperback

J.O.P. Bland arrived in Shanghai in 1883, the year he turned 20, and joined the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs under Sir Robert Hart. For his services to the Chinese Government over the next 13 years, he was made a Mandarin of the fourth class, and received the Imperial Order of the Double Dragon. He acted as correspondent for the London Times from 1897 until he left China in 1910. In total, he authored twelve books, including Houseboat Days in China which was his third book. He was once described by New York Times as the best informed Westerner on China in the world. He died in 1945.