INFORMAL NETWORKS AND INFORMATION AT THE BRITISH LEGATION IN BEIJING, 1861-1875

Abstract

The British Legation in Beijing (1861-1959) is chiefly noted for its role in facilitating Anglo-Chinese diplomatic contact. Less explored, however, is its role in building knowledge for informing Britain’s China policy. This thesis will analyse the role of the Legation’s social environment to British processes of knowledge construction on the imperial court in the years 1861-1875. The communities which formed Beijing’s social milieu, and the informal relationships that connected them, were a rich source of intelligence on developments in the highest echelons of the Qing government - intelligence used to inform Britain’s China policy of the 1860s and early 1870s. Seen through the eyes of the British ministers, information from informal interactions was thoroughly analysed, and played a key role in the Legation’s - and by extension Britain’s - construction of knowledge about China.