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徐霞客游记 The Travelogue of Xu Xiake - Writer left record of ancient travels
By Zhang Ciyun |
July 14, 2013, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
"Xu Xiake Youji," or "The Travelogue of Xu Xiake," is one of the best known "travel record" books in China's history and it originally documented in a total of 2.4 million Chinese characters the extensive travel experiences of Xu Xiake (1587-1641), the greatest explorer, travel writer and geographer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Xu was also deemed the first person in the world to study karst geomorphology.
Xu was born into a rich scholar's family in today's Jiangyin City, about 156 kilometers west of Shanghai.
Xu's father was a scholar, but unlike his peers, he shied away from officialdom and loved traveling. Under his father's influence, Xu loved to read about history, geography, exploration and traveling when he was young.
Xu's forefathers had built a private library boasting a collection of more than 10,000 books. Xu had read almost all of them while he was still a teenager. His love for good books was insatiable. It was said that one day he pawned the clothes on his back to pay for a book when he didn't have any money on him.
When he was 15, Xu sat for the lowest level of imperial examinations. He failed. His father saw that, like himself, his son wasn't interested in pursuing a career in officialdom, so he asked him to give up studying for the examinations and instead to cultivate himself into a true scholar.
Xu's mother could also read and write, which was very rare among women in olden times in China. She encouraged Xu to leave home and explore the outside world.
Xu embarked on his first journey when he was 22 and then spent more than 30 years traveling all around the country.
Xu usually traveled on foot and alone, and was known among his peers as a "wandering recluse." His great courage, curiosity and persistence led him to numerous places that were unknown or existed only in legends. He also experienced many adventures.
One day, when he came to the front of a large grotto, he was suddenly surrounded by peasants who lived nearby. They told Xu that the grotto was inhabited by a divine dragon and it was extremely dangerous to walk into the cave. They tried earnestly to persuade Xu to give up his expedition, but the intractable traveler wouldn't listen.
So, armed with only a torch, Xu entered and found a splendid karst cave.
During his journeys, he often got help from local scholars and monks who supported his endeavors to explore the country. Sometimes, he also wrote historical documents for local monasteries in exchange for a small fee to cover his travel costs.
And no matter how dog-tired he was or how poor the conditions of his lodging for the night, Xu would unfailingly write down his experiences, observations and discoveries in his diary every day.
It is said that Xu had documented his travels in a total of 2.4 million Chinese characters, but today only about 400,000 still exist. They are contained in the famous book "The Travelogue of Xu Xiake."
In his diary, Xu not only recorded local human and environmental conditions, political geography and geographic discoveries, but also clarified things such as the true sources of the Yangtze and the Mekong rivers.
Xu's prosaic and meticulous style also earned him the reputation of being a great writer.
Xu's travelogue was first published in 1642, one year after the great traveler passed away, and the book has since been reprinted nearly 40 times.
In the book, the first diary was recorded by Xu on May 19, 1613. Since 2011, Chinese travel authorities have designated May 19 each year as "China Travel Day" in order to commemorate this great Chinese traveler, writer and geographer.
Xu was also deemed the first person in the world to study karst geomorphology.
Xu was born into a rich scholar's family in today's Jiangyin City, about 156 kilometers west of Shanghai.
Xu's father was a scholar, but unlike his peers, he shied away from officialdom and loved traveling. Under his father's influence, Xu loved to read about history, geography, exploration and traveling when he was young.
Xu's forefathers had built a private library boasting a collection of more than 10,000 books. Xu had read almost all of them while he was still a teenager. His love for good books was insatiable. It was said that one day he pawned the clothes on his back to pay for a book when he didn't have any money on him.
When he was 15, Xu sat for the lowest level of imperial examinations. He failed. His father saw that, like himself, his son wasn't interested in pursuing a career in officialdom, so he asked him to give up studying for the examinations and instead to cultivate himself into a true scholar.
Xu's mother could also read and write, which was very rare among women in olden times in China. She encouraged Xu to leave home and explore the outside world.
Xu embarked on his first journey when he was 22 and then spent more than 30 years traveling all around the country.
Xu usually traveled on foot and alone, and was known among his peers as a "wandering recluse." His great courage, curiosity and persistence led him to numerous places that were unknown or existed only in legends. He also experienced many adventures.
One day, when he came to the front of a large grotto, he was suddenly surrounded by peasants who lived nearby. They told Xu that the grotto was inhabited by a divine dragon and it was extremely dangerous to walk into the cave. They tried earnestly to persuade Xu to give up his expedition, but the intractable traveler wouldn't listen.
So, armed with only a torch, Xu entered and found a splendid karst cave.
During his journeys, he often got help from local scholars and monks who supported his endeavors to explore the country. Sometimes, he also wrote historical documents for local monasteries in exchange for a small fee to cover his travel costs.
And no matter how dog-tired he was or how poor the conditions of his lodging for the night, Xu would unfailingly write down his experiences, observations and discoveries in his diary every day.
It is said that Xu had documented his travels in a total of 2.4 million Chinese characters, but today only about 400,000 still exist. They are contained in the famous book "The Travelogue of Xu Xiake."
In his diary, Xu not only recorded local human and environmental conditions, political geography and geographic discoveries, but also clarified things such as the true sources of the Yangtze and the Mekong rivers.
Xu's prosaic and meticulous style also earned him the reputation of being a great writer.
Xu's travelogue was first published in 1642, one year after the great traveler passed away, and the book has since been reprinted nearly 40 times.
In the book, the first diary was recorded by Xu on May 19, 1613. Since 2011, Chinese travel authorities have designated May 19 each year as "China Travel Day" in order to commemorate this great Chinese traveler, writer and geographer.
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