Charles Patrick Fitzgerald (5 March 190213 April 1992) was a

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historian and writer whose academic career occurred mostly in Australia. He was a professor of East Asian studies with particular focus on China.

Early life and education

Fitzgerald was born in London, England. His parents were

Hans Sauer Hans Sauer (11 June 1857 - 28 August 1939) was an Orange Free State born medical doctor, lawyer, adventurer and businessman. He is regarded as a Rand Pioneer, arriving in Johannesburg in 1886 shortly after the discovery of gold and was the town's f ...

, a migrant from

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. and his Irish-born wife Cecile Josephine, ''née'' Fitzpatrick. Unable to attend university as his family could not afford the fees, he obtained a job in a bank. After becoming interested in East Asia and the political developments there, he studied for a diploma in Chinese at the

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School of Oriental Studies The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...

.Rafe de Crespigny
Fitzgerald, Charles Patrick (1902–1992)

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. Retrieved 19 October 2017.

Career

He first visited China at age 21, and subsequently lived and worked there for over 20 years. Between 1946 and 1950 he worked there for the

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. After leaving China, Fitzgerald was invited to Australia by

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, who had been Australian Minister to China (1946-1948). Fitzgerald served as a Reader in Far Eastern History at the

Research School of Pacific (and Asian) Studies Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to c ...

at the

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, located in

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, Australia, from 1951 to 1953. He later became the first Professor of Far Eastern History, from 1953 to 1967. He was a foundation fellow of the

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in 1969.

Personal life

Fitzgerald married Pamela Sara Knollys on 15 February 1941 at

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, England. They had three daughters. He died in

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, in 1992.

Writings

Fitzgerald's best-known book, ''China: A Short Cultural History'' (London: The Cresset Press, 1935; edited by C. P. Seligman), has been reprinted and revised several times. He authored many other books and articles, including:Charles Patrick Fitzgerald, 1902–1992
humanities.org.au. Retrieved 13 March 2020. *''Son of Heaven: A Biography of Li Shih-Min, Founder of the T'ang Dynasty'' (Cambridge: University Press, 1933) *''The Tower of Five Glories'' (London: The Cresset Press, 1940) *''Introducing China'' (London: Pitman, 1948) (Joint author: George Yeh) *''Revolution in China'' (London: Cresset Press, 1952); revised edition: ''The Birth of Communist China'' (Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin, 1964) *''Flood Tide in China'' (Cresset Press, 1952) *''Finding Out About Imperial China'' (London, Frederick Muller, 1961; Exploring the Past series) *''

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'' (Melbourne: F. W. Cheshire for the Australian National University, 1955) *''The Chinese View of Their Place in the World'' (London: Oxford University Press, 1964) *''Barbarian Beds: The Origin of the Chair in China'' (Canberra: Australian National University, 1965) *''The Third China: The Chinese Communities in South-East Asia'' (Melbourne, Victoria: Cheshire for the Australian Institute of International Affairs, 1965) *''Buddhism in Political Action in South East Asia'' (Canberra: St. Mark's Library, 1965) *''China in the Twenty-first Century'' (Hobart: Adult Education Board of Tasmania, 1968) *''China's Revolution 20 Years After'' (Sydney: D. B. Young, 1969) *''The Irrationality of the Fear of China'' (Summer Hill, N.S.W.: Australia-China Society, 1970) *''Communism Takes China: How the Revolution Went Red'' (London: B.P.C., 1971) *''Changing Directions of Chinese Foreign Policy'' (Canberra: Australian Institute of International Affairs, 1971) *''The Southern Expansion of the Chinese People: "Southern Fields and Southern Ocean"'' (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 1972) *''Mao Tse-Tung and China'' (Harmondsworth, Middlesex and New York: Penguin Books, 1977) *''China and South East Asia since 1945'' (Camberwell, Victoria: Longman Australia, 1973) *''Why China?: Recollections of China, 1923–1950'' (Carlton, Victoria: Melbourne University Press, 1985) * "The Historical Background of Chinese Military Tradition" (1964) in the ''

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References

External links

Photography of China by C. P. Fitzgerald

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MS5189 - Fitzgerald's Papers
at

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C. P. Fitzgerald interviewed by Hazel de Berg in the Hazel de Berg collection (sound recording, 1967)
at

Photographs of Charles Patrick Fitzgerald
at

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. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzgerald, Charles Patrick 1902 births 1992 deaths 20th-century English historians Academic staff of the Australian National University Alumni of SOAS University of London British expatriates in China British sinologists English expatriates in Australia English people of Afrikaner descent English people of Irish descent English people of South African descent Fellows of the Australian Academy of the Humanities Historians from London Historians of China Historians of the Cultural Revolution Historians of monarchy and royalty Historians of religion People of the British Council