John Otway Percy Bland

Who was John Otway Percy Bland?

John Otway Percy Bland, a British writer and journalist, who wrote under the name J.O.P. Bland, was born on 15 November 1863 in Malta, the second son of the ten children of Major-General Edward Loftus Bland and Emma Frances Franks. Best known as the author of a number of books on Chinese politics and history, he lived in China for most of the period 1883-1910. A planned career in law was curtailed while he was still at university, and his father arranged for him to be considered for an appointment in the Chinese Maritime Customs Service.