XXX Международный конгресс ИИСАА. 19–21 июня 2019 г. Т. 2

Секция XV 44 XXX Международный Конгресс по источниковедению и историографии стран Азии и Африки Arather precise picture of Pelliot’s relations with Chinese officials may be drawn from the archive of the Qing government. Before leaving for China, Pelliot received a passport from G. Dubail, the French ambassador in China, and requested the help of Liu Shixun, the Chinese ambassador in France, who sent two letters to facilitate Pelliot’s exploration, one to the Ministry of ForeignAffairs of Qing China, the other to Liankui, the Governor of Xinjiang. These two letters guaranteed Pelliot, upon his arrival at Xinjiang, very favorable treatment by the Chinese government officials. When preparing the expedition, Pelliot might have asked for help from Li Shengduo, who was then one of the five ministers sent by the Qing government to the West to study constitutional politics, because in Pelliot’s archives we find a Chinese and English bilingual name-card of Li Shengduo which reads, ‘Li Shengduo, the imperial envoy on political investigation of the Grand State of Qing’ and ‘Li Sheng Toh, H. J. C. M.’s High Commissioner’. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qing offered Pelliot’s expedition a team passport, pass certificates, so as local governments along the road provided them with armed escorts, guides, horses, Uighur translators, currency exchange services, as well as laborers to help them with excavation. Such assistance was crucial to Pelliot’s successful exploration in various places in Xinjiang. The passport from the Qing Central Government was of a great help to Pelliot, but when he divided his team into several groups who had to act separately while moving between Urumqi and Turfan, one passport was not enough. Rongpei, the Judicial Commissioner (Ancha shi) of Xinjiang, therefore provided three passports for them to ensure that they receive timely accommodation and protection from local governments. In China, all the letters and packages of the Pelliot’s team reached them by postal routes of Qing government. After local officials received the letters and packages addressed to Pelliot, they delivered them directly to the team and asked for receipts which they would later record and report to the relevant governmental departments. But if Pelliot’s team had already left the place, the officials would have to seal the mails and transfer them to Pelliot’s next stop so they would finally catch up with the expedition. In Pelliot Archives in Musée Guimet one can still find a letter which was sent from Kashgar, and via Kucha and many subsequent stops, finally reached its addressee in Dunhuang. In order to have a comprehensive understanding of the geography and history of different places along the road of his expedition, Pelliot never stopped looking for related books, maps and other information. Many local official scholars in the Xinjiang province helped him in this regard. Wang Shunan, the Administration Commissioner of Xinjiang, lent him Yudi tuji , a geography of Xinjiang illustrated with maps; Zhang Xian, the governor of Karashar, gave him Xintang shu (NewTang History), Qinzhou xinzhi (New chorography of Qin zhou, ie. Tianshui), Lanzhou fuzhi (Chorography of Lanzhou), Dunhuang xianzhi (Chorography of Dunhuang county), Guochao shilue (An Outline History of Qing China), and Manzhou luxingji