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The Five Foot Road: In Search of a Vanished China
The author retraces the journey made by George Morrison through China into Burma one hundred years earlier, noting how things have changed and how some have stayed the same
- GenresChinaTravelNonfiction
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
About the author
Angus McDonald
2 booksAngus McDonald was a photographer, writer, author and adventurer best known for, in 1994, completing an epic journey across China to Yangon in the footsteps of George Ernest Morrison, known as Morrison of Peking, the 19th-century Australian adventurer.
Starting in Shanghai in 1994, a century after Morrison and at the same age, 32, McDonald followed Morrison's itinerary as closely as he could, stopping in the same villages, taking photographs from the same points, and comparing Morrison's observations with the new China.
He was born on March 14, 1962, in Paris to Tom and Gillian McDonald, who were both with the foreign service. He spent four formative years in India and time with his parents in Bangladesh, Singapore, London and Washington, growing up as a true Third Culture Kid, a term coined to describe the special attributes of children living their formative years in societies other than their parents'.
McDonald's book, The Five Foot Road: In Search of a Vanished China, interwove the story of his own travels with those of Morrison, published as An Australian in China (1895), and showed the changes wrought by a century of war, civil war and revolution. It broke new ground in travel writing.
Following publication of The Five Foot Road, McDonald decided to pursue his chosen career as photo-journalist in Asia, where he first established himself in Laos.
Among others, McDonald worked for The Sydney Morning Herald, the South China Morning Post, The Guardian, The Observer and The Daily Telegraph, as well as many travel magazines.
Angus McDonald died suddenly in Yangon, Myanmar, in 2013, where he had been enjoying a temporary respite from the cancer. He is survived by Catherine, parents Tim and Gillian, brother Hamish, sister Marnie and nieces Maddy and Isla.
Starting in Shanghai in 1994, a century after Morrison and at the same age, 32, McDonald followed Morrison's itinerary as closely as he could, stopping in the same villages, taking photographs from the same points, and comparing Morrison's observations with the new China.
He was born on March 14, 1962, in Paris to Tom and Gillian McDonald, who were both with the foreign service. He spent four formative years in India and time with his parents in Bangladesh, Singapore, London and Washington, growing up as a true Third Culture Kid, a term coined to describe the special attributes of children living their formative years in societies other than their parents'.
McDonald's book, The Five Foot Road: In Search of a Vanished China, interwove the story of his own travels with those of Morrison, published as An Australian in China (1895), and showed the changes wrought by a century of war, civil war and revolution. It broke new ground in travel writing.
Following publication of The Five Foot Road, McDonald decided to pursue his chosen career as photo-journalist in Asia, where he first established himself in Laos.
Among others, McDonald worked for The Sydney Morning Herald, the South China Morning Post, The Guardian, The Observer and The Daily Telegraph, as well as many travel magazines.
Angus McDonald died suddenly in Yangon, Myanmar, in 2013, where he had been enjoying a temporary respite from the cancer. He is survived by Catherine, parents Tim and Gillian, brother Hamish, sister Marnie and nieces Maddy and Isla.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 11, 2021
In 1994, Australian journalist and photographer Angus McDonald set out to retrace the route of another Australian in China and Burma (Myanmar), who completed his journey in 1894. George Morrison had written a book, entitled An Australian in China: Being the Narrative of a Quiet Journey Across China to British Burma, which included a number of photographs. McDonald decided to try and locate all of the photographs, and replicate them, a hundred years later.
While proposed as a photography book, this book is more a travel narrative than the photography. There are apparently 100 photos in this book, but it didn't seem like it. Many are very good, but slightly unusual, and fit the travel narrative, not the intent of capturing Morrison's images. There are a dozen of so of the 'then and now' shots, which are interesting.
Morrison's route in China took him from Shanghai to Wuhan, to Yichang, to Chongqing, to Kunming to Dali. From here he crossed to Burma at Bhamo and continued to Mandalay and Rangoon. While McDonald retraced almost all of the route, he was not authorised (as opposed to being refused permission) to cross the border at Bhamo, and ended up tracing the Burma route in reverse towards the border.
With, perhaps, the photographers eye, McDonald picked out things of interest, and introduced the history (particularly of 100 years prior) in an easy and readable way. He shared enough of his experiences without the book being dominated by his own journey, and enough of Morrison's journey that it was not solely about him either. Nicely balanced. A short, interesting book.
The books title comes from a road between Chongqing and Dali, 1000km long, laid out in the Qin dynasty (221-206BC) as part of a road building program as part of the development of Chinese civilisation. The road, designed for foot traffic, was known as the Five Foot Road (Wuchidao) so-called because in many places five feet was as wide as they could make it.
In googling to find out a little more about the author I was saddened to learn he died suddenly in 2013, at 51, once again in Burma (as he preferred to call it), during a brief respite from cancer.
4 stars.
While proposed as a photography book, this book is more a travel narrative than the photography. There are apparently 100 photos in this book, but it didn't seem like it. Many are very good, but slightly unusual, and fit the travel narrative, not the intent of capturing Morrison's images. There are a dozen of so of the 'then and now' shots, which are interesting.
Morrison's route in China took him from Shanghai to Wuhan, to Yichang, to Chongqing, to Kunming to Dali. From here he crossed to Burma at Bhamo and continued to Mandalay and Rangoon. While McDonald retraced almost all of the route, he was not authorised (as opposed to being refused permission) to cross the border at Bhamo, and ended up tracing the Burma route in reverse towards the border.
With, perhaps, the photographers eye, McDonald picked out things of interest, and introduced the history (particularly of 100 years prior) in an easy and readable way. He shared enough of his experiences without the book being dominated by his own journey, and enough of Morrison's journey that it was not solely about him either. Nicely balanced. A short, interesting book.
The books title comes from a road between Chongqing and Dali, 1000km long, laid out in the Qin dynasty (221-206BC) as part of a road building program as part of the development of Chinese civilisation. The road, designed for foot traffic, was known as the Five Foot Road (Wuchidao) so-called because in many places five feet was as wide as they could make it.
In googling to find out a little more about the author I was saddened to learn he died suddenly in 2013, at 51, once again in Burma (as he preferred to call it), during a brief respite from cancer.
4 stars.
January 11, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this book about his retracing the footsteps of George Morrison through China and Burma. I have travelled to Burma twice and am searching for information about the Burma Road. Ended up reading this book right through with great interest in the photos. His vivid descriptions of people are fascinating.
Love one of his comments: “History, like memory, exists in the present, and only the past can give meaning to the present. Go looking for the one, and the other won’t be far off.”
Love one of his comments: “History, like memory, exists in the present, and only the past can give meaning to the present. Go looking for the one, and the other won’t be far off.”
August 12, 2013
Though published some years ago, I only recently discovered this book.
It is fascinating - I had previously read the story of Morrison of Peking, so McDonald's story added a lot to my understanding. Very good photographs.
Worth re reading soon.
It is fascinating - I had previously read the story of Morrison of Peking, so McDonald's story added a lot to my understanding. Very good photographs.
Worth re reading soon.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews