Harry A. Franck documents his travels through various southern Chinese locations, including Hong Kong, where he observed modernization alongside laborer's humble living conditions. In Macao, he explored temples, ancient forts, and casinos. He also recorded the transformation of Canton (Guangzhou), noting the demolition of old waterfront buildings and ancient city walls, and the shift from traditional narrow lanes to wider roads. Franck described Shamian Island, a foreign enclave protected by naval gunboats and barbed wire following strikes and boycotts. His journey extended to other areas like the Yangtze River, Kingtehchen, Fukien, Foochow, Shamian Island, Hainan, Kwangsi, Yunnan, Szechuan, and Chengtu. Franck also documented his encounters with different ethnic minorities, including the Miao, Nosu, and Lolo. The book contains descriptions of daily life, including crafts and professions, some of which are no longer practiced, as well as observations on architecture and public infrastructure, while notably omitting extensive discussion of Sun Yat-sen's rule.

Franck's journey into Yunnan was notably from Vietnam, utilizing the narrow-gauge railway built by the French. He was struck by the natural landscape, particularly describing the rice terraces that were "steeper than stairways, long, but as narrow as they are high。” He traveled to Yunnanfu (Kunming), on the way to Sichuan through Tungch'uan (东川), Chaotung (昭通). 

About the Author

Harry A. Franck (1881-1962) was a prominent American travel writer and self-described "vagabond" during the early to mid-20th century. After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1903, Franck embarked on a year-long journey around the world with minimal funds, supporting himself with odd jobs, like working as a census taker and policeman in the Panama Canal Zone. This adventure became the subject of his first book, "A Vagabond Journey Around the World", published in 1910, which included over a hundred of his own photographs. 

Franck published over thirty illustrated travel books over four decades, offering a unique look at early 20th-century cultures before modernization. Some of his works include "Four Months Afoot in Spain", "Zone Policeman 88", "Vagabonding Down the Andes", "Roaming Through the West Indies", "Working North from Patagonia", "Wandering in Northern China" (1923), "Glimpses of Japan and Formosa" (1924), and "East of Siam" (1926).

1925, The Century Co., ex-library with usual stamps and labels. Textblock clean and sound. Binding has sunned spine and evidence of water damage; shelf wear to bottom edge. the binding is protected in clear, five-mil mylar. Green Cloth. Good. Illustraded throughout by B & W photographs; Fold-out Color Map.