He was fortunate enough to be chosen to do a sabbatical at Harvard as a
visiting fellow in 1974 and then went to Stockholm as Commercial Counsellor,
followed by Paris as Minister (Economic) from 1977 to 1979. He reverted to
the handling of Chinese questions in 1980, as an under-secretary in the
Foreign Office for the next three years, before going to his final post in
Beijing in 1984.
Evans was an attractive man with a lively mind and a nice sense of humour. As
a young diplomat in Beijing he had been one of an exceptionally talented
group who seemed destined to rise high, and counted the future Foreign
Secretary Douglas Hurd among their number. At the time, Evans was a lively
participant in amateur theatricals and other recreational activities.
In his subsequent career, he won high praise for his steadiness and good
sense. His Embassy in Beijing was crowned with notable success in terms of
Anglo-Chinese relations, though Evans was the first to admit that the ups
and downs of these relations are by their nature unpredictable and volatile.
Though his career was not solely concerned with Chinese problems, it was
China that was central to his diplomatic activity and it was fitting that he
should have finished his career in Beijing, where he was in attendance for
the Queen’s State Visit in 1986.
Evans’s impulse towards scholarship led him in retirement to devote himself
principally to writing a biography of the Chinese leader, Deng Xiaoping,
whom he had first seen on the podium with Mao Tse-tung in 1955. It proved a
formidable task since it involved lengthy research in Chinese sources not
easily available.
The result was published in 1993, under the title Deng Xiaoping and the Making
of Modern China. It was recognised as a substantial academic achievement and
won good reviews from scholars in the West, as well as being regarded with
respect and admiration in China. During the writing of the book, Evans was
generously supported, as a resident fellow, by Wolfson College, Oxford. He
later became a fellow emeritus.
Also in retirement, Evans took a close interest in the Ironmongers’ Company,
of which he had been a member for some years. He was elected Master of the
Company in 1999 and much enjoyed the role of enlightened benefactor of a
number of deserving causes.
He was appointed CMG in 1978, KCMG in 1984 and KCVO in 1986.
Richard Evans married, first, in 1960 (dissolved 1970), Margaret Sessinger. He
married, secondly, in 1973, Grania Birkett; they had two sons, and enjoyed a
very happy domestic life, latterly in Wiltshire.
Sir Richard Evans, born April 15 1928, died August 24 2012
Click here to Book Accommodation in Cradock, Graaf Reinett, Hofmeyer or surrounds.
Article source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/politics-obituaries/9504625/Sir-Richard-Evans.html