The High Road to China (book)
ISBN 9780747584841 | |
The High Road to China: George Bogle, the Panchen Lama and the First British Expedition to Tibet is a
Overview
In 1774, merchants from the
The EIC was crippled by a combination of a growing domestic demand for Chinese goods and China's extremely restrictive trading practices. The
Once Bogle reached Lhasa, he was able to form a friendship with the Panchen Lama of that time. This friendship and persuasion from Bogle led to Panchen Lama's state visit to China, which was a major focus for the Britishers.[3]
By piecing together fragments from Bogle's private documents, Tibetan histories of the Panchen Lama, the testimony of a travelling Hindu monk, and the Emperor's[who?] own accounts, Teltscher tried to "[reconstruct] the momentous meeting of these very different worlds."[3]
Reception
Tristram Stuart wrote in The New York Times that "[the book] lucidly relates how Britain tried to circumvent trade barriers by opening a back door to China through the mysterious land of Tibet."[4]
Patrick French, a British historian, wrote in The Sunday Times: "A splendid and fascinating account [...] Teltscher has made remarkable use of her source material, aided by the constantly perceptive and witty tone of Bogle’s own writings."[5]
Noel Malcolm, wrote in The Sunday Telegraph: "An impeccably well-researched book, and it is hard to imagine this fascinating story being told with greater sensitivity or skill."[6]
References
- ^ "Kate Teltscher". University of Roehampton Research Explorer. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ S2CID 162240703 – via ResearchGate.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-374-21700-6.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ "A Georgian encounter with the East". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-10-18.