Thomas Manning

views updated

Thomas Manning

1772-1840

British traveler who was the first Englishman to visit Tibet (1811-12). During the nineteenth century, Europeans were strictly prohibited from entering Tibet, and speedily expelled if found there. In order to bypass this policy, Manning lived in Canton, China, where he worked as a doctor from 1806 until his journey to Tibet in 1811. From Canton, he visited Lhasa in Tibet, staying there for several months and enjoying several interviews with the Dalai Lama.