Overview

Heinrich Schliemann, a successful trader and amateur archaeologist who excavated Troy and Mycenae, kept multilingual diaries during his many travels around the world. In 1864, he set aside his trading business and embarked upon a year-long trip around the globe. This volume contains the portion of this trip in China and Japan, from April 1st to June 30th, 1865. Schliemann’s visit came at a curious time, when both China and Japan were going through tectonic shifts, very recently begun to open up to Western trade under the threats of cannonballs and gunboats. Stepping onto the shores of China and Japan, Schliemann, an affluent European trader, enjoyed extraterritorial privileges but faced restricted freedom of movement – an experience he keenly noted. His stops in China comprised mainly of treaty ports with concession to European powers; in Japan, his movements were confined to Yokohama unless he applied for permits to venture further, always accompanied by mounted police. Under his pen, cannon fire from the Second Opium War still echoes over Taku, and in Kanagawa, the penultimate Shogun and his entourage strode past him. China and Japan had left such an impression on him, that he published his very first book, La Chine et le Japon au temps présent, in 1867. Years later he still referred back to his sublime experience on the Great Wall. This volume provides a faithful transcription and annotated English translation of Schliemann’s original diary, written in French, German, and English. An accompanying introduction contextualises his accounts within the landscape of 19th-century East Asia. This publication not only enriches our understanding of Schliemann’s life prior to his archaeological fame, but also offers a snapshot of 1860s East Asia through the lens of a mercantile globe-trotter.

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Meilin Lyu is affiliated with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, in the Department of Archaeology. Her research focuses on heritage management and assessment, and evaluating the impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities. She is a recipient of the A.G. Leventis Scholarship for her PhD studies. She holds a BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences from Universität Freiburg, Germany; an MSc in History and Philosophy of Science and Telecommunications from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens; and an MA in European Master on Society, Science and Technology (ESST). Meilin has published also several papers and delivered guest lectures in Europe and China, addressing the impacts of climate change on Greek archaeological marble sites. Yun Shi completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia and pursued a BA in Archaeology at Leiden University. Her research focuses on the history of archaeology, with a particular interest in Chinese scholars working abroad. Her recent project explores Luo Niansheng through the archives of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA). Yun has participated in several excavations and performance archaeology initiatives, including work at the Ancient Agora of Athens between 2022 and 2023.

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