Sven Hedin

            I had arrived in the town of Lalik on March 15 th 1895 after making the perilous journey from Kashgar. I was in desperate need of supplies and quickly sought out the local market. While engaging with local merchants I began to hear rumours of two young men who had started off from the nearby village of Yantak located on the right bank of the Yarkand-dria river, merely a day or two’s journey away by foot. These men had departed with supplies for a journey of approximately 12 days.  These 2 young men had not only successfully traversed the great Taklamakan desert but just 3 days into there travels they came across a disused river bed which they subsequently followed and came across the ruins of a once great city containing vast quantities of nephrite, more commonly known as Jade. What a discovery!  Could these ruins perhaps represent a lost city of the great Tang Dynasty? I had to find out, but it was if all sudden this group of mercha...

             I began my journey in the city of Yarkand which is located in the far western corner of the of the Chinese province of Xinjiang within the region of Kucha on September 17 th 1899. I had made up my mind that this expedition shall be one a of nautical nature. The plan was originally to navigate the Yarkand river as far north as physically possible. But then I realized why should I settle for simply navigating just one river when I could also explore the Tarim and Kaidu rivers as well. So, upon arriving within Yarkand I immediately set to work acquiring a suitable vessel. Unfortunately, all that was available to me was a basic, barren, shallow draft barge approximately 12 metres in length. This would simply not do! A simpler man would have most likely given up but not I. Sven Hedin is no quitter!             I immediately set to work employing a small army of carpenters and blacksmit...

12 th May 1890, Hallå ! My name is Sven Anders Hedin. I was born on the 19 th of February, 1865 in glorious Sweden, quite possibly the greatest nation in the history of the world! Ever since I was young boy growing up in the magnificent capital of Stockholm I have been fascinated with exploration and adventure. I still remember when I was 15 th years old, me and my Father Ludwig Hedin, the Chief Architect of Stockholm had gone down to the Stockholm harbour in order take part in the celebrations surrounding the triumphal return of the legendary Swedish Artic explorer Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld . The whole city had come out to celebrate his triumphal return of his historic crossing of the North Sea Route. It was at that moment that I told my father that one day all of Sweden would one day come out celebrate my triumphal return! I immediately began emerging my self in all aspects of exploration from geography and topography all the way to photography. I studied it al...