Sir Christopher read Modern and Mediaeval Languages as an undergraduate at Pembroke College, where he is now an Honorary Fellow. He then joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and his career as a diplomat included postings as Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Northern Asia and Pacific), Ambassador to Poland and Ambassador to China. While he was Master he was associated with the Centre for International Studies and the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and he still continues to follow the politics and international relations of contemporary China.  After his retirement he became a student at SOAS, University of London, and gained a MA in the History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia.