Shankar said that during the time Moody spent at China Daily, he noticed a gradual, but clearly perceptible, change in his colleague's understanding of global and Chinese politics.

"A dyed-in-the-wool Tory (Conservative), Andrew saw no contradiction in embracing or endorsing the Party's policies on many issues, often looking at long-term outcomes rather than short-term fixes," Shankar said.

"'Things work here', he would often say, and point to the 'messy democracy' in many countries, including mine, India."

A keen follower of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Moody would regularly declare that "this is, indeed, a new era in China", Shankar said.

In 2019, Moody was honored with China's most coveted award for foreigners, the China Friendship Award, for being "a leader in explaining Xi's thoughts to the world".

Graham said her brother was "hugely impressed with China and developed a real love of the country; so much so, he was keen to learn and speak Mandarin and immerse himself in the Chinese way of life."

His job was also "a chance to travel and explore parts of China that Westerners rarely have the chance to see and to interact with people of different political persuasions, allowing him to gain a perspective of the real China and the misunderstandings of Western countries", she said.

Zhou, the editor-in-chief, compares Moody with Edgar Snow, a US journalist who lived in China for 13 years and produced the most important Western reporting on the Communist movement in China in the country before 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded.

"Through his works, Moody showed the true picture of China, explaining the country and its people to the rest of the world, just like Edgar Snow," he said.

"Currently, there is an 'understanding deficit' of China, and it matters to the entire world to understand more of China."