By Paul Theroux
Paul Theroux, the writer of the educate trip classics the nice Railway Bazaar and The previous Patagonian exhibit, takes to the rails once more during this account of his epic trip via China. He hops aboard as a part of a travel workforce in London and units out for China's border. He then spends a 12 months traversing the rustic, the place he items jointly a desirable photograph of a distinct second in heritage. From the barren deserts of Xinjiang to the ice forests of Manchuria, from the dense metropolises of Shanghai, Beijing, and Canton to the dry hills of Tibet, Theroux deals an unforgettable portrait of a powerful land and a unprecedented humans.
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Allied with Batu and supported by her sons, Sorghaghtani was now ensured that the new Khaghan would be from the house of Tolui. 83 Möngke's brothers, Khubilai, Hülegü, and Arigh Böke, must have played a role in rallying support for their sibling, but the sources offer few details about their participation. Their mother had achieved her objective, for one of her sons was now the ruler of the vast Mongol domains. She lived just long enough to enjoy her victory, and died in the first month of 1252 (February 12-March 11).
1. Khubilai Khan, 1215-1294. 2. MongolsHistory. 3. ChinaKings and rulersBiography. I. Title. 48-1984. Page v To the memory of my father, Joseph Rossabi, and my friend and colleague Professor Joseph F. Fletcher, Jr. Page vii Contents List of Illustrations ix Preface xi Note on Transliteration xvii 1. The Early Mongols 1 2. Khubilai Emerges 22 3. The Great Khan 53 4. The Conqueror 76 5. The Emperor of China 115 6. The Cultural Patron 153 7. Mismanagement and the Chinese Response 177 8. Decline of an Emperor 206 Notes 233 Glossary of Chinese Characters 275 Bibliography of Works in Western Languages 281 Addenda to Bibliography of Works in Western Languages 306 Bibliography of Works in Oriental Languages 311 Index 319 Page ix Illustrations Figures 1.
The Khaghan recognized the need for an administrative center for his growing domain. 33 To build and maintain this new town required importing vast quantities of supplies, for it was an artificially created capital and could not sustain a large population on its own resources. It lay far from the trade routes, outside the agricultural heartland, and far from sources of raw materials. 34 The maintenance of elaborate buildings like the Khaghan's palace, known to the Chinese as the Wan-an kung, imposed an even heavier burden.