Science Explorers

For readers interested in China depicted by western travellers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this set focuses on the theme "The Silk Road" and features five books written by explorers from various walks of life, including:Through Hidden Shensiby Francis H. Nichols, 1902In Forbidden China: The D'Ollone Mission 1906–1909;China—Tibet—Mongoliaby Vicomte d'Ollone, 1911Across China on Foot: Life in the Interior andthe Reform Movementby Edwin J. Dingle, 1911Among the Celestials: A Narrative of Travelsin Manchuria, Across the Gobi Desert,Through the Himalayas to Indiaby Francis Younghusband, 1898In the Footsteps of Marco Polo: Being the Accountof a Journey Overland from Simla to Pekinby Clarence Dalrymple Bruce, 1907Each volume of the collection aims to reignite interest and also to allow readers to explore how these books relate to the region today.

The term Silk Road has been well-known for many years, but in fact this ancient trade route was not a singular path from East to West. Rather, it was a network of multiple ways that peoples, goods, and cultures spread across the Asian continent and beyond. This book focuses on the Steppe Silk Road, starting with the Hulunbuir Grasslands in today’s Steppe, which stretches through several countries from the Danube to the Ural River.The result of the author’s extensive travels through China, Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, and more, this travelogue presents modern-day experiences together with ancient history. It explores how civilizations of the steppe grasslands evolved over time from a Chinese perspective, along with personal anecdotes and scenic highlights from various trips over the past 47 years. The book provides a window into less-visited regions suitable for intrepid explorers and armchair travelers alike.