"Boarding a Chinese Passenger Ship: Tracing the Footsteps of French Pioneers" by Christine Leang, Pacific Press, Paris

Set sail with them to the land of China

There is no need for a reason to travel. The journey itself is the whole point. At first, you may think you will dominate a trip, but soon, the trip begins to make you, or break you.
— Nicolas Bouvier, Travelogue

From ancient times to the present, China has attracted everyone's attention and inspired everyone's imagination. She is both magical and charming, full of dangers and full of hope... For thousands of years, she has never taken off the mysterious veil, and in the eyes of many people, she has always exuded infinite charm. To this day, some people still feel that this land is unpredictable and makes people imagine.

Three centuries ago, a group of French people took risks and braved the wind and waves for months to bravely venture into China, on the other side of the world. What kind of vision did they have for this land?

The French have a long history of coming to China. Initially, the first batch of Jesuit priests arrived in China at the end of the 16th century with the ideal of converting the Chinese people to Catholicism. After that, the two Opium Wars in the second half of the 19th century forced the Chinese Empire to open its doors and allow Western powers to establish their own concessions, demarcating foreign territories within the inner circle of Chinese cities. From 1840, France sent diplomatic missions to manage its concessions in China. Among them, the colonies represented by the French Concession in Shanghai quickly flourished. French expatriates from all walks of life who were eager to make a name for themselves and achieve great things in the Far East came in droves.

Unfortunately, the French are still notorious for the burning of the Old Summer Palace and other shameful chapters. On the contrary, many heroic stories that once dominated Chinese history have been ignored. In fact, these people all have extraordinary experiences behind them.

This group of French sons and daughters, some with a mission, some with great ambition, some out of curiosity, some with passion, some voluntarily, some forced, all set foot on this distant and mysterious land with hope, to welcome the journey of destiny in China. They have witnessed the vicissitudes of life in the ancient country and become witnesses of the legend. They are both audiences and actors, engraving their footprints in the Celestial Empire, some like fleeting fireworks, and some spanning decades. China, whether in the past or today, will always be a melting pot for forging destiny.

We hope to start a journey through time and space by recreating the life experiences of these French people in China. We will follow their stories and fates, return to the Chinese land in the 1740s, and review the changes of the empire until the birth of the People's Republic of China in the 1950s.

The characters in the book span two centuries, with different identities and personalities, but all of them are outstanding. Some start businesses, some make careful explorations, some fight, some pursue art, some explore, and some promote humanity. In the most turbulent period in China's history, they left behind epic deeds with their vigorous vitality, and there was no lack of intertwined destinies.

In the journey of life, the interweaving and transformation of fate is never accidental. One encounter after another dominates the rest of your life. This book opens a journey to appreciate the land of China. However, in addition to rushing to the destination, appreciating the scenery and experiencing the culture, the greatest meaning of travel lies in meeting others. Whether repeating the familiar path or taking a different path, unexpected encounters can always bring surprises, making travel a unique and special experience.

Please follow me on my journey to meet the characters in the book, and I will introduce them to you one by one...

Liang Yidan
In 2011, in Shanghai