Chinese passport
Born in Durrus, West Cork, Hurley began to travel in his teens then in 1905 he started with the British Customs Service in Shanghai and travelled around China until 1915. He was one of the few westerners to venture into the Sino-Russian war zone. He learned Chinese and helped to train activists loyal to Sun Yat-sen, who came to power in 1912 and honoured Hurley with gifts and a Chinese passport.