William Edward Soothill

William Edward Soothill, (1861 – 1935) was a Methodist missionary to China who later became Professor of Chinese at the University of Oxford, and a leading British sinologist.

Life Born in Halifax, Yorkshire in January 1861, Soothill matriculated at London University. He entered the ministry of the United Methodist Free Church arriving in China in 1882 and spent 29 years as a missionary in Wenzhou, China. Another leading missionary there until 1909 was Grace Stott who led the China Inland Mission there.

Soothill founded a hospital, a training college, schools and 200 preaching stations. In 1911 Soothill became President of the Imperial University at Shanxi. Upon his return to England in 1920 he was appointed Professor of Chinese at Oxford University. William and Lucy also had a son, Victor, in 1888, who became the father of John Farrar Soothill (both doctors).

Selected works

The Student's Four Thousand and General Pocket Dictionary (1899) A Mission in China (1906,1907)

China and Education, with Special Reference to the University for China (1912) The Three Religions of China (1913; revised edition 1929) Timothy Richard of China (1924) China and the West: A sketch of their Intercourse (1925) A History of China (1927) China and England (1928) The Lotus of the Wonderful Law: or, The Lotus Gospel (1930) A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms: with Sanskrit and English Equivalents and a Sanskrit-Pali Index (1937, with Lewis Hodous) The Hall of Light: A study of Early Chinese Kingship, edited by Lady Hosie and G. F. Hudson (1951)