The earliest travel guide in ancient China

"Xu Xiake's Travels" is the earliest travelogue in China that records the geographical environment in detail. It is also the earliest book in the world that describes the karst landforms and examines their causes in detail. Except for major events at home, Xu Xiake almost never stopped traveling throughout his life, and recorded in detail what he saw along the way, which is a rare research material for geographers and archaeologists. "Xu Xiake's Travels" has been published since the first edition in 1642, the 15th year of Chongzhen's reign in the Ming Dynasty, to the edited and annotated edition by Zhu Huirong in 1985. It has been published 38 times and has 139 related research papers, which is impressive.

"Xu Xiake's Travels" is a precious geographical scientific report for geographers. For ordinary readers, it is more like a travel guide. The magnificent and far-reaching scenery in the book is like a This tall and majestic mountain seems to be stimulating our desire for adventure, to gain fun in climbing, and to seek true knowledge in exploration.