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Robert Wain, Jr. (1794-1825) may be considered America's first sinologist because of research he did while working for his father's firm in China and because of his subsequent stateside publications about China. Wain drew upon his personal experiences and observations as a China trader that went beyond the norms of restrained business practice. He chose to delve into historiography, publicly challenging aspects of the "picture" of China presented in many Western publications. Wain's objective was to offer unbiased information about China to an American audience. By publishing such information, he nevertheless sought a commercial objective, namely to lay the groundwork for the first United States embassy to China.
The Philadelphia author Robert Wain, Jr. (1794-1825) may be considered America's first sinologist because of research he did while working for his father's firm in China and because of his subsequent stateside publications about China. Those writings included an 1821 series of articles in Philadelphia's National Gazette and an 1825 full-length text entitled China; Comprehending a View of the Origins, Antiquity, History . . . &c ofthat Empire. Wain drew upon his personal experiences and observations as a China trader but went beyond the norms of restrained business practice. he chose to delve into historiography, publicly challenging aspects of the "picture" of China presented in many Western publications. Wain's objective was to offer unbiased information about China to an American audience. By publishing such information, he nevertheless sought a commercial objective, namely to lay the groundwork for the first United States embassy to China. Such a goal was only realized in 1844, nineteen years after his death.1
Wain's Early Literary Career
Wain was born in Philadelphia on October 20, 1794, the son of Robert Wain, Sr. and Phebe Lewis Wain. The family's wealth and social position made it unnecessary for him to earn a living. Only twice was he listed in the Philadelphia directories as holding an occupation, and on both occasions it was at his father's business address.2 he was self-educated and, at an early age, turned to the writing of satire.3 His first published work was probably "Horace in Philadelphia," a short poem that appeared pseudonymously in Philadelphia's Port Folio in 1814, when Wain was only nineteen. The first work that can definitely...