RIDING THE RIVER HOME

　　This book presents a complete and annotated English translation of the text Diary of a Boat Trip to Wu (Wuchuan lu), a travel journal written by the famous Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) government official and writer Fan Chengda (1126–1193). The journal describes a boat journey the author made in the summer and fall of 1177 from Chengdu (Sichuan) to his home near Suzhou (Jiangsu). Fan’s trip covered a distance of approximately 1,700 English miles and took 122 days to complete. The Diary of a Boat Trip to Wu is especially valuable because it provides detailed, first-hand descriptions of many aspects of the Song dynasty (960–1279) geography, history, literature, art, and religion. Perhaps most noteworthy are the author’s lengthy and often fascinating accounts and assessments of scenic and historic sites he stopped to visit during the trip.

作者簡介

James M. Hargett

　　is Professor of Chinese at the Department of East Asian Studies of the University of Albany, State University of New York. Professor Hargett’s research focuses on the prose literature, travle diaries, and historical-geography of the traditional period in China, especially that of the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279). He is currently preparing a complete and annotated English translation of Fan Chengda’s (1126–1193) Treatises of the Supervisor and Guardian of the Cinnamon Sea (Guihai yuheng zhi).