The Great Chinese Travelers
by Mirsky, Jeannette. editor
pub by Pantheon a division of Random House, NY, 1964 - - isbn -none- - LCCN 64-18345- -- Forward p.v - vii - - Acknowledgement p. viii - Contents p.ix --bAbout the Editor p. 310 - Total 310 pages.
This is a collection of travel narratives translated from Chinese by a number of scholars and presented here.
1. 1001-14 BC - Travels of Emperor Mu
2. c. 123 BC - Chan Ghien. the Han Ambassador to Bactria
The Ambassador traveled overland to the east visiting other peoples.
He was recognized as an official of a powerful government and was received well.
3. c. AD 645 - Hsuan-Tsang. Prince of Pilgrims
Buddist monk Husan-Tsang travels to northern India on a pilgrimage
to learn more of the more esoteric writings of or about Buddhism and visits pilgrimage places
then returns home to China, bringing his newfound knowledge. The whole trip took years.
4. c. AD 1220 - The Taoist Chang-Chun goes to visit Chingiz Kahn
Chingiz Kahn (Genghis khan of the Mongolian conquest of much of the world)
invites Chang-Chun to explain Taoism to him.
(Note that he had general interst of many religions and invited leaders of many religions to visit him.)
Chang-Chun is well received and spends some time enlightening Chingiz Kahn, then is allowed to return home
5. c. AD 1250 - Rabban Sauma visits Europe
Rabban Sauma was a Nestorian Christian living in Western China. He traveled west out of China to visit other Christian sites.
At first he connected with other Nestorians. Then to Jerusalem. He was elected bishop
He was sent to Rome to meet with the western Pope and arrived after the Pope died and before a new one was elected.
He toured various holy sites and also visited France visiting holy sites there, also met the English king.
Eventually he returned to Rome and visited Nicholas IV the newly elected Pope.
He then returned to Persia.
6. c. AD 1297 - Recollections of the customs of Cambodia
an ambassadors view of Cambodia during the Angkor Period.
This reads much like a cultural anthropology textbook.
7. early fifteenth century - Cheng Ho Naval Expeditions
First voyage about AD 1405-1407 Cheng Ho led the Chinese fleet on fact finding and ambassadorial expeditions
This first voyage to Java, Sumatra, Ceylon and Calicut
Second voyage 1407-1409 to the same places
Third voyage 1409-1411 again to Indonesia and the East coast of India
Fourth voyage 1413-1415 to Bengal with part of the fleet goint to escort returning ambassadors home
Fifth voyage 1417-1419 to Aden and Melinda on the African coast
Sixth voyage 141421-1422 to West Africa
Seventh voyage 1431-1433 to Hormuz
There is little detailed information on Cheng Ho travels as later emperors systematically destroyed the records of his exploits to discourage travel outside of China.
8. eighteenth century - The Hai-Lu - an Eigteenth-century Seaman
A regular Chinese sailor signed on with a Portugese ship and visited many western lands
Hai-Lu was born in 1765. At age 18 he sailed out with a foreign (probably Portugese) sailing vessel when he was 18
During the next 14 years he sailed to Europe, including Turkey, also both North and South America and Asia.
He went blind and returned to Macao, China at age 33. In 1800 a visitor from his home town visited and
wrote down the stories and rememberences of his travels.
This was important as there was little practical knowledge of the West by people in China.
9. Nineteenth century - Scholars, Students and Ambassadors
Writings of individual Chinese people in what was the beginning of opening to understanding the West
among them Hsu Chi-yu who accepted western geography in 1848 (1795-1873) -
Feng Kuei-fen a scholar from Soochow (1809-1874) who wrote .On the Adoption of Western Knowledge.
and writings of Chinese in diplomatic missions abroad.
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~2022_06_22~
Author list with LINKS to description of each book
Subject list with LINKS to description of each book
Fiction Author list with LINKS to description of each book
Non-Fiction Title list with LINKS to description of each book
to Books index page.
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