Acknowledgments

One of the most exciting aspects of being an academic is collaborating with other scholars, especially those with whom you share research interests. When I first conceived the idea of preparing an annotated translation of Xu Xiake’s travel diaries, I thought it would be a solo project. After closely reading the diaries, however, I discovered there is too much valuable textual material for one person to translate, even selectively, in any reasonable amount of time. However, who should I recruit to join me? The first name that came to mind was Julian Ward, who has published the only book-length study of Xu Xiake in English. Julian immediately agreed to join the team, as did Alister D. Inglis, an old friend who happens to be one of the most skilled and experienced translators working today in the field of traditional Chinese literature. Yet another adept and veteran translator of both traditional and modern Chinese literary works is Allan H. Barr. A prominent and highly competent scholar known nationally and internationally as a specialist in Ming and Qing dynasty literature and history, Allan immediately accepted an invitation to join us, and we are delighted to have him onboard. The final recruit for the translation team was Naixi Feng (Feng Naixi 馮乃希), whose primary research interest is Chinese literature as it relates to place. Like Julian, Alister, and Allan, she is a highly skilled translator. Joseph R. Dennis, a noted historian of late imperial China, especially the Ming dynasty, supervised map production. Chinese art historian Kenneth S. Ganza served a crucial role in selecting the illustrations that grace the pages of this book.

We are also indebted to the following friends and colleagues who graciously helped us in numerous ways: Roberta Bickford, Mark Blum, Giorgio Casacchia, Chou Chih-ping (Zhou Zhiping 周質平), Joachim Gentz, He Jianye 何劍葉, Diana Wen-ling Liu (Liu Wenling 劉雯玲), Luo Manling 羅曼玲, Alfreda Murck, Lynn A. Struve, Zhiru Ng (釋智如), and Cong Ellen Zhang (Zhang Cong 張聰).

Under Joe Dennis and Alicia Cowart’s direction, a team of graduate students at the University of Wisconsin Cartography Lab—Maggie Lehane, Ramakrishna Raju Gangaraju, Randi Mae Selvey, Jake Steinberg—and one undergraduate, Will McAllister, created the maps that appear throughout the book. Thanks also to Naixi for helping us secure a generous grant from Tsinghua University in Beijing, which covered map production expenses and other costs.

Special thanks also to Ren Xiaomei 任小枚 and her colleagues at the Xu Xiake Research Society (Xu Xiake Yanjiuhui) in Jiangyin, Jiangsu, who answered many of our questions and provided us with difficult-to-find research materials, and to Xu Yongming 徐永明 of Zhejiang University, who helped resolve numerous textual questions. We also thank the two anonymous reviewers for the University of Washington Press, whose perceptive feedback proved indispensable in revising the original manuscript.

Finally, we extend our deepest thanks to Lorri Hagman at the University of Washington Press in Seattle. Without Lorri’s guidance, patience, and support, this book would never have been published. We send hearty congratulations to Lorri on her recent retirement. We also thank Lorri’s colleagues at the University of Washington Press, especially Joeth F. Zucco, who helped us through the various stages of the publication process.

—James M. Hargett