John Roote

John Roote is a freelance writer. He grew up on the south coast of England. After graduating with a law degree from Bristol University he qualified as a chartered accountant and was accepted into the prestigious Price Waterhouse International Program. He was posted to Dallas and has lived most of his working life in the United States.

A chance visit to China in 2006 ignited an interest in Chinese culture, history and decorative arts. He was intrigued by the story of George Kates, an American who lived in and wrote about 1930's Beijing. In 2010 Roote embarked on a five-year journey to discover and write about Kates' life and experiences in China, an odyssey that took him back to China as well as to London, New York, Washington and New England. The story of Kates' life and adventures in China was Roote's first book - A Love Affair with Old Beijing - published in 2015.

Like Kates, Roote has developed his own Chinese furniture collection and has continued to study Chinese history. He is currently researching the Chinese Emperor's Summer Palace.