The sinologist George Thomas Staunton (1781-1859) learned Chinese as a child and accompanied his father on a trip to China in 1792 where, though the Ambassador's page, he was the only member of the delegation who could speak to the emperor in Chinese. A career in the East India Company's Canton factory followed, and he translated many texts between Chinese and English, including this penal code, published in 1810, which was its first translation into any European language. The 'Fundamental Laws' was the legal code of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and contained more than 1,000 statutes. Staunton organised his translation of a selection of the laws into seven divisions: general, civil, fiscal, ritual (religious), military, criminal and public works. He also includes an appendix with translations of edicts regarding matters such as punishment, making this compendium an invaluable guide to the complex legal regime of the Qing Dynasty.
