A Preliminary Study On The Investigation Activities Of The Taiwan Flying Investigation Team In Qinghai - Tibet Area From 1905 To 1908

During1905to1908, the Tafel expedition team from Germany went on a more than900-day exploration from Hankou to Tibet, which covered Shaanxi, Shanxi, Qinghai, Sichuan, Neimenggu and other provinces (mainly focusing on Tibetan area). They travelled more than10,000kilometres to collect animal and plant specimens, survey and draw maps, take photographs, conduct geological explorations, and carry out many other activities, through which extensive researches and records were done, concerning the cultural relics, urban population, communication and trading, and agricultural products of the regions along their way. It was a systematic and scientific exploration conducted by western people in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, regarding the cultural and natural geography of Tibet and its surrounding area. This dissertation, based on a thorough study of Meine Tibetreise, and referring to other literatures in Chinese, English, and German, mainly elaborates on the motivation, preparation, routes, methodology of survey, and content of research of Tafel expedition. Furthermore, a comparison was made between this expedition and other exploration teams which also went to Tibet during the same period, but from Britain, Russia, Japan, France and other countries, so that an objective evaluation can be made on the achievements and significances of Tafel’s research.The first part of the dissertation, namely chapter1, introduces the reason and process of the team formation. Specifically, this part discusses how Tafel made the decision of commencing the second Tibetan trip immediately, and how to raise money and equipment, and recruit team members during the long journey.The second part, namely chapter2and3, presents the route before the team arrived in Tibet, and some episodes happened on their way. Through this section, a profound understanding can be developed of the regions they explored and some specific situations they encountered.The third part, namely chapter4and conclusion, demonstrates the scientific achievements of Tafel expedition, including animal and plant specimens, photographs, cartography, geological study, and cultural geographical aspects of Tibet, such as cultural relics, living habits of local residents, agricultural products and so on. This section highlights the considerable achievements and significances of Tafel expedition.