Xu Xiake 徐霞客 |
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![]() Xu Xiake (Chinese: 徐霞客; pinyin: Xú Xiákè; Wade-Giles: Hsü Hsiak'e, January 5, 1587—March 8, 1641), born Xu Hongzu (徐弘祖), courtesy name Zhenzhi (振之), was a Chinese travel writer and geographer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) known best for his famous geographical treatise, and noted for his bravery and humility. He traveled throughout China for more than 30 years, documenting his travels extensively (which would be compiled posthumously into the The Travel Diaries Xu Xiake, and his work translated by Ding Wenjiang). Xu's writing falls under the old Chinese literary category of 'travel record literature' ('youji wenxue'), which used narrative and prose styles of writing to portray one's travel experiences. Life With an ancestry in Jiangxi, he was born Xu Hongzu (宏祖), as the second son ![]() On his journeys throughout China he travelled with a servant called Gu Xing (顧行). He faced many hardships along the way, as he was often dependent on the patronage of local scholars who would help him after being robbed of all his belongings. Local Buddhist abbots of the various places he visited often would pay him money as well, for the small service of recording the history of their local monastery. From the snowy passes of Szechuan, to the semi-tropical jungles of Guangxi, to the mountains of Tibet, Xu Xiake wrote of all his experiences and provided enormous amounts of written detail from his observations. Geography and 'travel records' The written work of Xu Xiake's travel records and diaries contained some 404,000 written ![]() ![]()
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