A Study Of Isabella Bird’s Travel Notes Between China And Japan In The Victorian Era

The second half of the 19th century was the Victorian era in Britain.During this period,many female travelers emerged.Isabella Bird was one of the famous female travelers at that time.She once made an in-depth tour and exploration of China and Japan and left her travel notes.Her travel notes are famous for their objectivity and accuracy,and have made detailed records of the natural geography,humanities and customs of the two countries.Because of her remarkable academic achievements,she was rated as the first female member of the Royal Geographic Society in 1892.This paper mainly selects Bird’s China Travel Notes《The Yangtze Valley and Beyond》and Japan’s travel notes《Unbeaten tracks in Japan》as the object,analyzes them from the perspective of cultural history and social history,and combines the method of text close reading,in order to show the appearance and historical value of these two travel notes.This paper consists of four parts.The introduction makes a literature review of Bird.The first chapter introduces Bird’s life in Victorian era,and briefly summarizes the route of her trip to China and Japan.Based on Bird’s travels,the second chapter analyzes the different levels of China and Japan in her book.In addition to physical geography,there are also social and cultural aspects,including urban characteristics,people groups,social customs and beliefs.In the process of analysis,there is a comparison between Bird and contemporary travelers,highlighting the uniqueness of her writing style.The third chapter analyzes the value and influence of Bird’s Two travel notes.Finally,I studied the drawing and photography techniques she used in the two travel notes.Finally,I studied the drawing and photography techniques she used in her books.The third chapter explores the value and influence of Bird’s two travel notes.Her works come from her own experience and have unique historical value;Her respect for foreign cultures also provides a feasible path for East-West exchanges.Bird’s travel notes not only caused great repercussions in Britain at that time,but also had varying degrees of influence in China and Japan,especially in Japan.The popularity of her travel notes has not subsided.This paper also analyzes the reasons for this situation.