The Far East

Written by one of the most prolific writers on China at the turn of the century, this 1905 publication was intended as a guide for travellers rather than as a scientific study of Asian landscape and culture. Little, a well-known merchant and traveller, spent fifty years of his life exploring the Orient. The book is structured with a chapter dedicated to each region of China and the 'Dependencies' (Manchuria, Mongolia, Turkestan, Tibet, Indo-China and Korea), as well as Siam and Japan. Little proves himself a shrewd observer of both landscape and peoples, and the content of his work is wonderfully detailed. He manages to encompass a wide range of subjects into his survey, including natural resources, the development of railways, trade routes and meteorology, as well as a history of the land mass and populations. The book is supplemented with several maps and illustrations.

Preface; Editorial note; 1. Definition; 2. The central kingdom: China; 3. The northern basin. The Yellow River; 4. The middle basin: Part I. The Yangtse River; 5. The middle basin: Part II. The province of Szechuan; 6. The middle basin: Part III. The Chengtu Plateau; 7. The middle basin: Part IV. The lower Yangtse provinces; 8. The intermediate provinces; 9. The southern basin. Yunnan to Canton; 10. The dependencies: Part I. Manchuria; 11. The dependencies: Part II. Mongolia; 12. The dependencies: Part III. Turkestan; 13. The dependencies: Part IV. Tibet; 14. Whilom dependencies: Part I. Indo-China; 15. Whilom dependencies: Part II. Corea; 16. The buffer kingdom: Siam; 17. The island empire: Japan; Index.

Drawing on his own considerable experience in the Orient, Archibald Little penned this volume in order to aid other English travellers in the Far East. Published in 1905, this book describes the natural and cultural history of China and its surrounding countries, and also contains several illustrations.