Victorian Travelers and the Opening of China, 1842-1907

Three Men And Three Women – A Plant Collector, A Merchant And His Novelist Wife, A Military Officer, And Two Famous Women Travelers – Went To China Between The Opium War And The Formal End Of The Opium Trade, 1842-1907. Their Travel Records And Novels Became A Significant Source Of Many Of The West’s Impressions Of That Far-off Land. All Of The Writers Had A Degree Of Contemporary Importance Or Fame And Represented Different Views That Lent Significance To Their Writing About China. Robert Fortune, A Horticulturalist, And Archibald Little, A Merchant, Represent Travel And The Business Of Empire. Constance Gordon Cumming, Henry Knollys, And Isabella Bird Bishop Were Adventure Travelers. Alicia Little, Wife And Novelist, Helpmeet And Humanitarian, Was A Woman Of Empire. Susan Schoenbauer Thurin’s Study Of These Writings Presents A Rich Tapestry Of Impressions, Biases, And Cultural Perspectives That Inform Our Own Understanding Of The Victorians And Their Views Of The World Outside Their Own.–jacket. Introduction: Opening China — Pt. 1. Travel And The Business Of Empire. 1. Gathering In China: Robert Fortune. 2. Westward The Course Of Empire: Archibald John Little — Pt. 2. Globetrotters In China. 3. An Unbiased Stranger: Constance Gordon Cumming. 4. The Pen And The Sword: Major Henry Knollys. 5. In Search Of Elysium: Isabella Bird (mrs. Bishop) — Pt. 3. Women Of Empire. 6. Orientalizing Feminism: Mrs. Archibald Little (a.e.n. Bewicke). Conclusion: An Opened China. Susan Schoenbauer Thurin. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.,Description and travel,History,Relations,DS709 .T49 1999,915.104/35