Edward Kajdanski Archives

Born in Harbin (China), Edward Kajdanski (1925-2020) was a Polish diplomat, author and painter who passionately advocated for cultural exchange and friendship between Europe and Asia. In his career, he published over 20 books on Asian history, culture, art and medicine. His magnus opus is the research on Michael Boym, a Polish Jesuit priest who in 17th Century traveled through Asia and document Chinese flora, fauna and medicine during the waning years of the Ming dynasty. Edward Kajdanski maintained a rich media archive of video and photographs of China from the early 1960s to the late 1980s. In 2025, the 100th birth anniversary of Edward Kajdanski, this project publishes this media archive for the first time and through a series of podcasts builds on his deep-rooted desire to foster friendship and cultural exchange between Europe and Asia.