Wading Barefoot through a Mountain Stream

Xu Xiake stands as China's most distinguished traveler and travel writer, whose extensive journeys through Ming-dynasty China offer a unique window into the era’s geography, history, and cultural traditions. This new, fully annotated English translation of Travel Diaries of Xu Xiake (Xu Xiake youji) demonstrates his characteristic emphasis on the experience of the journey itself in the context of his lifelong search for extraordinary landscapes—ranging from dramatic Mount Huang to multiethnic Lijiang in Yunnan. The diaries are known for both their literary and scientific significance. Notably, Xu was among the first to trace the source of the Changjiang (or Yangzi) to the Gold Dust (Jinsha) River and to undertake scientific exploration of karst caves in the southwest. Late-imperial Chinese armchair travelers delighted in his narrative prose, which vividly evokes terrain, inviting readers to experience scenic wonders, including topography of the remote border regions of Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Along with the translated diaries, this volume includes maps and illustrations, allowing readers to follow Xu's routes. It will be indispensable for scholars of Chinese history, geography, and travel writing and will bring Xu Xiake's extraordinary journeys to a broader audience.

 

Forthcoming December 2025