China as Viewed by Two Early Bengali Travellers

The writings of Indian travellers in Republican China have attracted limited attention. This article examines the travel accounts of two Bengali travellers who visited China in the early twentieth century. Indumadhav Mullick may have been the earliest Bengali to write an eyewitness account of China for Bengali readers in India. Mullick's account is noteworthy for its vivid record of the maritime route from the eastern coast of India to China and his descriptions of the southern Chinese port, Xiamen. Benoy Kumar Sarkar, on the other hand, provides detailed observations about the political situation in China and the vibrant intellectual life in Shanghai. Together these two works are important for understanding the interactions between India and China during the colonial period. They are also vital for examining the cultural links between Kolkata and China during the early twentieth century.