Stephen G. Haw

Stephen G. Haw(born 1951) is a botanical taxonomistand historian, specializing in subjects relating toChina.He is the author of several published books and a large number of periodical articles. His most important work relates to the taxonomy ofTree Peoniesand to the history of theMongol periodin East Asia. He has made a major contribution to studies ofMarco Polo's account of East Asia: according toPeter Jackson,an authority on the history of the Mongol conquests, his book about Marco Polo "must surely now have settled the controversy surrounding the historicity of Polo's visit to China."

He studiedChineseat theUniversity of Oxford(Wadham College), and took an M.A. at theUniversity of London.He also studied at theUniversity of Shandongin China.His first book,The Lilies of China,was published in 1986. He subsequently authoredChina: A Cultural History(1991),A Traveller’s History of China(first edition 1995; several subsequent editions),Broadleaved Evergreens(2001),Marco Polo's China(2006), andBeijing – A Concise History(2007). Of these,A Traveller’s History of Chinahas been published in translations into Finnish, Swedish and Portuguese.One reviewer wrote of this book that it "is not the perfect solution to the problem of a single source for the prospective China tourist, but it is by far the best attempt at such a book I have yet seen."

His articles have appeared in many different periodicals, including theRoyal Horticultural Society's publicationsThe GardenandThe Plantsman,Hortus,Country Life,The Edinburgh Journal of Botany,andActa Phytotaxonomica Sinica.During the last few years, several important articles relating to the history of the Mongols in China have appeared in academic journals including theJournal of the Royal Asiatic Society,East Asian History,theBulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies,and theJournal of Asian History.

Publications

Books

• The Lilies of China,Batsford, 1986
• China: a cultural history,Batsford, 1990
• A Traveller's History of China,Windrush Press, 1995; 2nd edition, 1998; 3rd edition, Orion Books, 2002; 4th edition, 2004; published in the USA by Interlink Books, now in 5th edition; translated into Finnish asMatkaopas historiaan: Kiina;Puijo, 1996; 2nd edition, Unipress, 2005; translated into Swedish asHistorisk guide till Kina;Historiska Media, 1999; translated into Portuguese asHistória da China;Tinta-da-China, 2008.A Traveller's History of Chinaat Interlink Books
• Broad-leaved Evergreens: trees, shrubs and climbers,GMC Publications, 2000
• Marco Polo’s China: a Venetian in the realm of Khubilai Khan,Routledge, 2006; paperback edition, 2009.Marco Polo's Chinaat Routledge
• Beijing – a concise history,Routledge, 2007; paperback edition, 2008.Beijing - a concise historyat Routledge

Contributions to other books

• By Pen and by Spade,edited by D. Wheeler, Alan Sutton, 1990
• The Generous Garden,edited by D. Wheeler, Alan Sutton, 1991
• Plant Life,edited by D. M. Moore, Oxford University Press, 1991

Selected periodical articles

• Mudan: the king of flowers.The Garden110: 154 – 59, (1985).
• Pasque flowers.The Garden111, 165 – 68 (1986).
• A problem of peonies.The Garden111: 326 – 68 (1986).
• The origins of the garden chrysanthemum.The Garden111, 525 – 28 (1986).
• Chinese flowering plums and cherries.The Garden112, 224 – 78 (1987).
• Asian Bellflowers.The Garden112, 567 – 69 (1987).
• Bamboo comes west.The Garden113, 557 – 61 (1988).
• A thousand petals.Country LifeMay 17, 1990: 188 –89 (1990).
• A review of the infraspecific taxa of Paeonia suffruticosa Andrews.Edinburgh Journal of Botany47 (3): 273 – 81 (1990) [co-authored with L. A. Lauener].
• Tree Peonies: A Problem Resolved.The Plantsman13: 94 – 97 (1991).
• Paeonia ostii in Britain.The New Plantsman7: 160 – 63 (2000).
• Tree Peonies, a Review of their History and Taxonomy.The New Plantsman8: 156 - 71 (2001).
• Paeonia delavayi, a variable species.The New Plantsman8: 251 – 53 (2001).
• Tree peonies - a review of recent literature.The PlantsmanNew Series 5: 88 – 92; 258 – 60 (2006).
• The Mongol Empire – the first gunpowder empire?Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society23.3: 441 – 469 (2013).
• Cathayan Arrows and Meteors: The Origins of Chinese Rocketry.Journal of Chinese Military History2: 28 – 42 (2013).
• The Deaths of Two Khaghans: a comparison of events in 1242 and 1260.Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies76.3: 361 – 71 (2013).
• Bayan of the Bārin’s Persian Wife, And Other Perplexities.Journal of Asian History,48.2: 263 – 79 (2014).
• The Mongol Conquest of Tibet.Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society24.1: 37 – 49 (2014).
• The Persian Language in Yuan-dynasty China: A Reappraisal.East Asian History39: 5 – 32 (2014).
• TheHistory of a Loyal Heart(Xin shi): a late-Ming forgery.Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society25.2: 317 - 325 (2015).
• TheSemu renin the Yuan Empire.Ming Qing Yanjiu18: 39 - 63 (2014).
• The Maritime Routes between China and the Indian Ocean during the second to ninth centuries CE.Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society27.1: 53 - 81 (2017).
• Cinnamon, Cassia and Ancient Trade.Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology4.1: 5 - 18 (2017).
• Tung Oil andTongTrees.Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft167.1: 215 - 236 (2017).
• Islam in Champa and the Making of Factitious History.Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society28.4: 717 - 747 (2018).
• The Mystery of Jasmine and the Arab Counting-House in Canton.Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft168.2: 415 - 436 (2018).