Back Blocks of China, the

Bangkok: White Lotus Press, 2008. Paperback. As New/no dj. 0.50. The book offers narratives of experiences among the Chinese, Sifans, Lolos, Tibetans, Shans and Kachins, in the lands between Shanghai and the Irrawaddy. In 1900, a party of British citizens fleeing the Boxer Rebellion left China using the back-door. This unusual group of escapees, consisting of business people and engineers, viewed the country that they traversed from a standpoint that was different from that of the usual travelers of the time. As they crossed parts of China previously unseen by Europeans, they observed and recorded their experiences. These records have produced a unique source book showing inner China and the borderlands with Burma of 100 years ago. The text is enriched with two maps and by 28 photographs taken by members of the group.