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Travels in Tartary, Thibet and China, 1844-1846
First published in 1928.'To read it is like seeing the scenes described' Evening Standard'One of the world's best travel books' Spectator 'The work remains a classic worthy of reproduction' The TimesPublished to critical acclaim and well known for many years afterwards this account of the journey across Mongolia to Lhasa in the early nineteenth century owes much of its success to the literary skills of its authors, made available in English for the first time by William Hazlitt and Paul Pelliot.Among other topics the chapters The French mission of Peking, Tartar manners and customs, festivals, an interview with a Tibetan Lama, the flooding of the Yellow River, Tartar veterinary surgeons, irrigation projects, comparative studies between Catholicism and Buddhism, war between two living Buddhas, and the Chinese account of Tibet.
352 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1987
About the author
Évariste Régis Huc
216 books3 followersÉvariste Régis Huc, C.M., or the Abbé Huc, was a French missionary Catholic priest and traveller, famous for his accounts of China, Tartary and Tibet.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 23, 2011
Am deeply fond of this book. Huc and Gabet were French priests out to convert Mongols. Don't be put off: they have the attitude of explorers, they write a fantastic, lively travel book and they fail to make conversions. Unlike other old travels they aren't rude about the Mongols or their way of life - which to them harks to the Old Testament. On the other hand they are downright rude about the towns of China, and splutter at the simple Mongols' exploitation by the sophisticated Chinese. I like where their hearts are. Gorgeous, and guaranteed to give you a love for Mongol life.
August 8, 2020
Wow where to even start with this one.
I found it when reading a HackerNews thread a while back. I liked the idea of looking at life a few hundred years ago through the journal of a religious man of the traveling through China.
Overall, the book is a little hard to read because there are many phrases which are just a little off or a take a moment to get used to. However, I did quite enjoy decoding some of the strange phrases and exciting troubles they faced. It seems like back in the day everyone was always conning the con man (or at least one upping them). Seeing these little tiffs play out is quite fun.
Perhaps the most enjoyable of these tiffs was the story of a moneychanger trying to scam someone and then getting scammed himself and calling for help. To read it just look for the phrase "fifity-two" in the book around page 117.
If anyone would like to read this book it's public domain so you can find legally free copies online.
Some things I liked in the book:
By a law among the Tartars, when animals are lost from a caravan, the persons occupying the nearest encampment are bound either to find them or to replace them.
no innkeeper, if he can avoid it, will receive camels into his stables at all :their size occupies great space, and their appearance almost invariably creates alarm among the other animals
You take half-an-ounce of mercury, which you mix with old tea-leaves, previously reduced to paste by mastication.
Already more than once, on our journey, the intractable, obstinate temperament of Samdadchiemba had been the occasion of our losing our way.
It [camels] seems to feel that joy or recreation are not within its portion; that its inevitable career is forced labour and long fastings, until death shall relieve it.
They use the hump, however, which, cut into slices, and dissolved in tea, serves the purpose of butter.
This layman seemed to be about fifty years old, but his height did not exceed three feet. On the top of his head, which terminated like a sugar-loaf, rose a small tuft of badly combed hair; a grey, thin beard descended in disorder down his chin.
Every Mongol knows the number, the name, and the position of the bones which compose the frame of animals; and thus they never break the bones when they are cutting up an ox or a sheep.
"True"
Our animals were, at the very least, as absorbed with the subject as ourselves. The horse and the mule pointed their ears, and dug up the earth with their hoofs, while the camels, with outstretched necks and glaring eyes, did not for an instant remove their gaze from the spot whence these wild cries issued.
we had to leave our lame dog on the bank, for the Mongols would not admit it on any terms, insisting upon the rule that all dogs must swim across the river, the boat being destined solely for men, or for animals that cannot swim.
It was for us a singular spectacle to see parties of moustachioed men sitting before the door of their houses in the sun, knitting, sewing, and chattering like so many female gossips
Nobody walks the streets without a great sabre at his side, and without affecting, at least, a fierce determination to use it on the shortest notice. Not an hour passes without some street combat.
I found it when reading a HackerNews thread a while back. I liked the idea of looking at life a few hundred years ago through the journal of a religious man of the traveling through China.
Overall, the book is a little hard to read because there are many phrases which are just a little off or a take a moment to get used to. However, I did quite enjoy decoding some of the strange phrases and exciting troubles they faced. It seems like back in the day everyone was always conning the con man (or at least one upping them). Seeing these little tiffs play out is quite fun.
Perhaps the most enjoyable of these tiffs was the story of a moneychanger trying to scam someone and then getting scammed himself and calling for help. To read it just look for the phrase "fifity-two" in the book around page 117.
If anyone would like to read this book it's public domain so you can find legally free copies online.
Some things I liked in the book:
By a law among the Tartars, when animals are lost from a caravan, the persons occupying the nearest encampment are bound either to find them or to replace them.
no innkeeper, if he can avoid it, will receive camels into his stables at all :their size occupies great space, and their appearance almost invariably creates alarm among the other animals
You take half-an-ounce of mercury, which you mix with old tea-leaves, previously reduced to paste by mastication.
Already more than once, on our journey, the intractable, obstinate temperament of Samdadchiemba had been the occasion of our losing our way.
It [camels] seems to feel that joy or recreation are not within its portion; that its inevitable career is forced labour and long fastings, until death shall relieve it.
They use the hump, however, which, cut into slices, and dissolved in tea, serves the purpose of butter.
This layman seemed to be about fifty years old, but his height did not exceed three feet. On the top of his head, which terminated like a sugar-loaf, rose a small tuft of badly combed hair; a grey, thin beard descended in disorder down his chin.
Every Mongol knows the number, the name, and the position of the bones which compose the frame of animals; and thus they never break the bones when they are cutting up an ox or a sheep.
"True"
Our animals were, at the very least, as absorbed with the subject as ourselves. The horse and the mule pointed their ears, and dug up the earth with their hoofs, while the camels, with outstretched necks and glaring eyes, did not for an instant remove their gaze from the spot whence these wild cries issued.
we had to leave our lame dog on the bank, for the Mongols would not admit it on any terms, insisting upon the rule that all dogs must swim across the river, the boat being destined solely for men, or for animals that cannot swim.
It was for us a singular spectacle to see parties of moustachioed men sitting before the door of their houses in the sun, knitting, sewing, and chattering like so many female gossips
Nobody walks the streets without a great sabre at his side, and without affecting, at least, a fierce determination to use it on the shortest notice. Not an hour passes without some street combat.
June 9, 2020
Travel literature emerged in the late 20th century and definitely exploded in the 21st. However, many of the books of this genre written in the last years lack the exotism and spirit of adventure we find in this book.
Travelling from Beijing to Lhasa, crossing the Tartar deserts and the Thibetan mountains with little means, Evariste Huc describes in a simple yet entertaining style the places and the peoples he encounters in his travel.
The Tartars are, indeed, an essentially religious people; with them the future life is everything; the things of this world nothing. They live in the world as though they were not of it; they cultivate no lands, they build no houses; they regard themselves as foreigners travelling through life; and this feeling, deep and universal, developes itself in the practical form of incessant journeys.
Very few Western explorers lived so closely with the Tartars and Thibetans as Huc and Gabet, Huc’s companion in his enterprise. Descriptions like this one are truly valuable considering how little was known about both these peoples in the 19th century.
Huc also makes profound reflections along his hard trip through plains, deserts and mountains…
In the desert the heart of man is free; he is subject to no species of tyranny. Far away from us were all those hollow theories and systems, those utopias of imaginary happiness which men are constantly aiming at, and which as constantly evade their grasp.
Despite his efforts, Evariste Huc did not achieve the main objective of this endeavor: to convert many people to Christianism. Regardless of his failure, thanks to this amazing trip he surely got closer to God. Sharing his experience in the pages of this book is an excellent read and a privilege somehow, considering how little known this book is.
Travelling from Beijing to Lhasa, crossing the Tartar deserts and the Thibetan mountains with little means, Evariste Huc describes in a simple yet entertaining style the places and the peoples he encounters in his travel.
The Tartars are, indeed, an essentially religious people; with them the future life is everything; the things of this world nothing. They live in the world as though they were not of it; they cultivate no lands, they build no houses; they regard themselves as foreigners travelling through life; and this feeling, deep and universal, developes itself in the practical form of incessant journeys.
Very few Western explorers lived so closely with the Tartars and Thibetans as Huc and Gabet, Huc’s companion in his enterprise. Descriptions like this one are truly valuable considering how little was known about both these peoples in the 19th century.
Huc also makes profound reflections along his hard trip through plains, deserts and mountains…
In the desert the heart of man is free; he is subject to no species of tyranny. Far away from us were all those hollow theories and systems, those utopias of imaginary happiness which men are constantly aiming at, and which as constantly evade their grasp.
Despite his efforts, Evariste Huc did not achieve the main objective of this endeavor: to convert many people to Christianism. Regardless of his failure, thanks to this amazing trip he surely got closer to God. Sharing his experience in the pages of this book is an excellent read and a privilege somehow, considering how little known this book is.
January 8, 2020
Minutely detailed record of two French priests’ travels across Tibet, Mongolia and China in the mid nineteenth century. Very informative concerning cultural and geographical differences in the region. Quite an adventure!
March 23, 2022
A bit dry, but very detailed comparison between religion and nationalities.
Surprised to see Ki-Chan 琦善 (The Qing official handling the 1st Opium War) appearing in this book, and his disagreeing on the Chinese way in handling international affairs. Don't think Huc was bluffing.
Surprised to see Ki-Chan 琦善 (The Qing official handling the 1st Opium War) appearing in this book, and his disagreeing on the Chinese way in handling international affairs. Don't think Huc was bluffing.
March 4, 2021
A fascinating story about an amazing journey, written by French missionary who had a relatively open mind and a deep interest in the people he met on his journey through Manchuria, Mongolia, Sichuan and Tibet.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews