It has been said that reports of the court of the Ch'ien Lung Emperor that had returned with the 1794 embassy of Lord Macartney to Peking, along with the pictorial records brought back by William Alexander, must have impressed George greatly.
對於前者，除了自幼在宮中受母親的耳濡目染外，一般評者以為與一七九四年第一個英國大使麥卡尼（Lord Macartney）順利晉見乾隆皇帝有關，因為此事不但使中國又成熱門議題，也使攝政王對東方的君主體制大感興趣，此外，隨行大臣威廉．亞歷山大帶回來一系列的「中國服飾」（ChineseCostume,1805）彩畫更叫人大開眼界。