Évariste Régis Huc
Encyclopedia
Évariste Régis Huc, or Abbé Huc, (1813–1860) was a French
missionary
traveller, famous for his accounts of China
, Tartary
and Tibet
. Since the travels of the Englishman, Thomas Manning
, in Tibet (1811–1812), no European had visited Lhasa
. Huc stimulated European interest in Central Asia
and blazed a trail for Asian studies.
in France on August 1, 1813. When Évariste was twenty-four, he entered the congregation of the Lazarists (also known as Vincentians) at Paris
. Shortly after receiving holy orders
in 1839, he went out to China
. He spent some eighteen months in the Lazarist seminary in Macau
preparing himself for the regular work of a missionary and learning the Chinese language
. He modified his personal appearance and dress in accordance with Chinese taste, then started from Guangzhou
(Canton). He at first superintended a Christian
mission in the southern provinces.
Moving on to Beijing
(Peking), Huc gained more knowledge of the Chinese language, then settled in the Valley of Black Waters or Hei Shui, 300 miles (482.8 km) north of Beijing and just within the borders of Mongolia
. There, beyond the Great Wall of China
, a large but scattered population of native Christians had taken refuge from the persecutions of Jiajing
(Kia-king), in an earlier era.
," for whom he translated several religious texts. Huc's intention was to travel from China to Lhasa, and from there to India (much as Hsuan Tsang had travelled via Tashkent
, Samarkand
and Taxila
much earlier, in the 7th century). This work prepared him for his journey to Tibet
in 1844 at the instigation of the vicar apostolic of Mongolia
. By September, 1844 he reached Dolon Nor and made arrangements for his journey. Soon after, accompanied by his fellow-Lazarist, Joseph Gabet, and a young Mongour priest who had embraced Christianity, he set out.
To escape attention the party assumed the dress of lama
s or priests. Crossing the Yellow River
, they advanced into the terrible sandy tract known as the Ordos Desert
. After suffering dreadfully from want of water and fuel they entered Gansu
, having recrossed the flooded Hwang-ho. By January, 1845 they reached Tang-Kiul on the boundary. Rather than take an independent four months journey to Lhasa
, they waited eight months for a Tibetan embassy expected to return from Peking. Under an intelligent teacher they meanwhile studied the Tibetan language
and Buddhist literature. During three months of their stay they resided in the ancient Kunbum Lamasery
, which was said to accommodate 4,000 persons. In late September, 1845 they joined the returning embassy, which comprised 2,000 men and 3,700 animals.
Crossing the deserts of Koko Nor
(Qinghai), they passed the great Koko Nor lake
, with its island of contemplative lamas. After a difficult journey across snow-covered mountains, they entered Lhasa on January 29, 1846. Favourably received by the regent, they opened a little chapel. They had begun to establish their mission when Qishan, the Chinese resident
interceded. During the First Opium War
(1839-1842) Qishan, then the governor of Zhili
province, had entered into negotiations with Captain Charles Elliot
, first at Dagu
, then at Canton
. His action being disapproved, Qishan had been degraded, sentenced to death, reprieved, then sent to Tibet as imperial commissioner. Sensing the potential trouble if Huc and Gabet were to reach India from Tibet, Qishan expelled Gabet and Huc from Lhasa February 26, 1846 under guard. Following an official inquiry into their motives for being in Tibet, they were officially escorted to Canton in October, 1846.
, British minister plenipotentiary to China. Davis reported Gabet's exciting information with its strategic significance about Central Asia to Palmerston.
Huc remained at Canton
for nearly three years, writing his account of travels in China and Central Asia. Souvenirs d'un voyage dans la Tartarie, le Thibet, et la Chine pendant les années 1844, 1845 et 1846 appeared in Paris in 1850. It was soon published in English
, in 1851. A German
translation appeared in Leipzig
in 1855, followed by Dutch
, Spanish
, Italian
, Swedish
, Russian
and Czech
(Prague
, 1887) editions. Popular editions followed, including an illustrated, simplified story text for schoolboys. It was abridged and translated by Julie Bedier as High Road in Tartary (1948).
Huc's works are written in a lucid, spicy, picturesque style, securing for them an unusual degree of popularity. However, his esteem for Tibetan manners and religion was not welcomed by his Church: "The late Abbé Huc pointed out the similarities between the Buddhist and Roman Catholic ceremonials with such a naïveté, that, to his surprise, he found his delightful 'Travels in Thibet' placed on the 'Index'."
The Souvenirs is a narrative of a remarkable feat of travel. Huc was unjustly suspected of sensationalizing his travels. Although a careful observer, he was by no means a practical geographer. The record of his travels lacks precise scientific data. The authenticity of Huc's journey was questioned by the Russian traveller, Nikolai Przhevalsky
, but vindicated by others. Of course, both Huc and Gabet had written brief reports of their journey from 1847 on for the "Annales de la Propagation de la Foi" and the "Annales de la Congrégation de la Mission". More recently, Huc's writings have been criticized for presenting negative stereotypes of the Chinese.
The sequel, The Chinese Empire (1854) is a more comprehensive compendium of the religion, laws, usages and institutions of China, followed by a multi-volume history of Christianity in China and Central Asia.
Gabet went on to Rio de Janeiro
, where he died soon afterwards. Huc returned to Europe in poor health in 1852. In his last years he took an active role in events in Cochin China He urged Napoléon III to take action, saying, "The Far East will soon be the theater of great events. If the emperor wills, France will be able to play an important and glorious role there." Napoleon took the first steps to establish a French colonial influence in East Asia
. He launched a naval expedition in 1858 to punish the Vietnamese people
for their mistreatment of French Catholic missionaries and demanded that the Vietnamese cede the port of Tourane and the island of Poulo-Condor, under an old treaty of 1787, which had never been used. This eventually led to a full-out invasion in 1861.
Residing in Paris, Huc died on March 31, 1860.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
traveller, famous for his accounts of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Tartary
Tartary
Tartary or Great Tartary was a name used by Europeans from the Middle Ages until the twentieth century to designate the Great Steppe, that is the great tract of northern and central Asia stretching from the Caspian Sea and the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean inhabited mostly by Turkic, Mongol...
and Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. Since the travels of the Englishman, Thomas Manning
Thomas Manning
Thomas Manning is considered the first lay Chinese studies scholar in Europe and was the first Englishman to enter Lhasa, the holy city of Tibet.-Life:...
, in Tibet (1811–1812), no European had visited Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
. Huc stimulated European interest in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
and blazed a trail for Asian studies.
Early life
He was born in Caylus, Tarn-et-GaronneCaylus, Tarn-et-Garonne
Caylus is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France.-References:*...
in France on August 1, 1813. When Évariste was twenty-four, he entered the congregation of the Lazarists (also known as Vincentians) at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Shortly after receiving holy orders
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
in 1839, he went out to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He spent some eighteen months in the Lazarist seminary in Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
preparing himself for the regular work of a missionary and learning the Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
. He modified his personal appearance and dress in accordance with Chinese taste, then started from Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
(Canton). He at first superintended a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
mission in the southern provinces.
Moving on to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
(Peking), Huc gained more knowledge of the Chinese language, then settled in the Valley of Black Waters or Hei Shui, 300 miles (482.8 km) north of Beijing and just within the borders of Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. There, beyond the Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...
, a large but scattered population of native Christians had taken refuge from the persecutions of Jiajing
Jiajing Emperor
The Jiajing Emperor was the 11th Ming Dynasty Emperor of China who ruled from 1521 to 1567. Born Zhu Houcong, he was the former Zhengde Emperor's cousin...
(Kia-king), in an earlier era.
Tibet
Huc devoted himself to the study of the dialects and customs of the "TatarsTatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
," for whom he translated several religious texts. Huc's intention was to travel from China to Lhasa, and from there to India (much as Hsuan Tsang had travelled via Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
, Samarkand
Samarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
and Taxila
Taxila
Taxila is a Tehsil in the Rawalpindi District of Punjab province of Pakistan. It is an important archaeological site.Taxila is situated about northwest of Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi in Panjab; just off the Grand Trunk Road...
much earlier, in the 7th century). This work prepared him for his journey to Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
in 1844 at the instigation of the vicar apostolic of Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. By September, 1844 he reached Dolon Nor and made arrangements for his journey. Soon after, accompanied by his fellow-Lazarist, Joseph Gabet, and a young Mongour priest who had embraced Christianity, he set out.
To escape attention the party assumed the dress of lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
s or priests. Crossing the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
, they advanced into the terrible sandy tract known as the Ordos Desert
Ordos Desert
The Ordos Desert is a desert and steppe region lying on a plateau in the south of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China . The soil of the Ordos is a mixture of clay and sand and, as a result, is poorly suited for agriculture. It extends over an area of...
. After suffering dreadfully from want of water and fuel they entered Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
, having recrossed the flooded Hwang-ho. By January, 1845 they reached Tang-Kiul on the boundary. Rather than take an independent four months journey to Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, they waited eight months for a Tibetan embassy expected to return from Peking. Under an intelligent teacher they meanwhile studied the Tibetan language
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
and Buddhist literature. During three months of their stay they resided in the ancient Kunbum Lamasery
Kumbum Monastery
Kumbum Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in Qinghai province, China. Kumbum was founded in 1583 in a narrow valley close to the village of Lusar in the Tibetan cultural region of Amdo. Its superior monastery is Drepung, immediately to the west of Lhasa...
, which was said to accommodate 4,000 persons. In late September, 1845 they joined the returning embassy, which comprised 2,000 men and 3,700 animals.
Crossing the deserts of Koko Nor
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
(Qinghai), they passed the great Koko Nor lake
Qinghai Lake
Qinghai Lake , is a saline lake situated in the province of Qinghai, and is the largest lake in China. The names Qinghai and Kokonor both mean "Blue/Teal Sea/Lake" in Chinese and Mongolian. It is located about west of the provincial capital of Xining at 3,205 m above sea level in a depression...
, with its island of contemplative lamas. After a difficult journey across snow-covered mountains, they entered Lhasa on January 29, 1846. Favourably received by the regent, they opened a little chapel. They had begun to establish their mission when Qishan, the Chinese resident
Amban
Amban is a Manchu word meaning "high official," which corresponds to a number of different official titles in the Qing imperial government...
interceded. During the First Opium War
First Opium War
The First Anglo-Chinese War , known popularly as the First Opium War or simply the Opium War, was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice...
(1839-1842) Qishan, then the governor of Zhili
Zhili
Zhílì was a northern province in China from the Ming Dynasty until the province was dissolved in 1928 during the Republic of China era.-History:...
province, had entered into negotiations with Captain Charles Elliot
Charles Elliot
Sir Charles Elliot, KCB , was a British naval officer, diplomat, and colonial administrator. He became the first administrator of Hong Kong in 1841 while serving as both Plenipotentiary and Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China...
, first at Dagu
Dagu
Dagu may refer to:* Dagu , a form of traditional Chinese storytelling* Dagu Fort, a Chinese fort that is now a visitor attraction* Dagu language, an Eastern Sudanic language of Darfur* Hong Dagu , Korean military commander...
, then at Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
. His action being disapproved, Qishan had been degraded, sentenced to death, reprieved, then sent to Tibet as imperial commissioner. Sensing the potential trouble if Huc and Gabet were to reach India from Tibet, Qishan expelled Gabet and Huc from Lhasa February 26, 1846 under guard. Following an official inquiry into their motives for being in Tibet, they were officially escorted to Canton in October, 1846.
Reflections
Abbé Gabet returned to Europe in late 1846 in the company of Alexander Johnston, secretary to John Francis DavisJohn Francis Davis
Sir John Francis Davis, 1st Baronet KCB was a British diplomat, Sinologist, and the 2nd Governor of Hong Kong. He was the son of Samuel Davis and nephew to William Thomas Mercer .-Early career:John Davis was appointed writer in East India Company's factory at Canton in 1813...
, British minister plenipotentiary to China. Davis reported Gabet's exciting information with its strategic significance about Central Asia to Palmerston.
Huc remained at Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
for nearly three years, writing his account of travels in China and Central Asia. Souvenirs d'un voyage dans la Tartarie, le Thibet, et la Chine pendant les années 1844, 1845 et 1846 appeared in Paris in 1850. It was soon published in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, in 1851. A German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
translation appeared in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
in 1855, followed by Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
(Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, 1887) editions. Popular editions followed, including an illustrated, simplified story text for schoolboys. It was abridged and translated by Julie Bedier as High Road in Tartary (1948).
Huc's works are written in a lucid, spicy, picturesque style, securing for them an unusual degree of popularity. However, his esteem for Tibetan manners and religion was not welcomed by his Church: "The late Abbé Huc pointed out the similarities between the Buddhist and Roman Catholic ceremonials with such a naïveté, that, to his surprise, he found his delightful 'Travels in Thibet' placed on the 'Index'."
The Souvenirs is a narrative of a remarkable feat of travel. Huc was unjustly suspected of sensationalizing his travels. Although a careful observer, he was by no means a practical geographer. The record of his travels lacks precise scientific data. The authenticity of Huc's journey was questioned by the Russian traveller, Nikolai Przhevalsky
Nikolai Przhevalsky
Nikolai Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky and Prjevalsky, ; —), was a Russian geographer of Polish background and explorer of Central and Eastern Asia. Although he never reached his final goal, Lhasa in Tibet, he travelled through regions unknown to the west, such as northern Tibet, modern Qinghai and...
, but vindicated by others. Of course, both Huc and Gabet had written brief reports of their journey from 1847 on for the "Annales de la Propagation de la Foi" and the "Annales de la Congrégation de la Mission". More recently, Huc's writings have been criticized for presenting negative stereotypes of the Chinese.
The sequel, The Chinese Empire (1854) is a more comprehensive compendium of the religion, laws, usages and institutions of China, followed by a multi-volume history of Christianity in China and Central Asia.
Gabet went on to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, where he died soon afterwards. Huc returned to Europe in poor health in 1852. In his last years he took an active role in events in Cochin China He urged Napoléon III to take action, saying, "The Far East will soon be the theater of great events. If the emperor wills, France will be able to play an important and glorious role there." Napoleon took the first steps to establish a French colonial influence in East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
. He launched a naval expedition in 1858 to punish the Vietnamese people
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
for their mistreatment of French Catholic missionaries and demanded that the Vietnamese cede the port of Tourane and the island of Poulo-Condor, under an old treaty of 1787, which had never been used. This eventually led to a full-out invasion in 1861.
Residing in Paris, Huc died on March 31, 1860.
Works
- Huc's letters and memoirs of travel appeared in the Annales de la propagation de la foi and Annales de la Congrégation de la Mission, (1847–1850). Collected and annotated edition of 76 letters by Gabet and 98 by Huc in Jacqueline Thevenet, Joseph Gabet, Évariste Huc: Lettres de Chine et d'ailleurs, 1835–1860, Paris, Les Indes Savants (2005) ISBN 2-84654-084-5
- Souvenirs d'un voyage dans la Tartarie, le Thibet, et la Chine pendant les années 1844, 1845 et 1846, 2 vols., Paris, A. LeClère & Co. (1850); reprint (1992); Édition électronique intégrale du livre du Père Huc sur le site de l'Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (in French) Omnibus (2001)] ISBN 81-206-0802-X.
- English translation, W. Hazlitt, Travels in Tartary, Thibet and China, 1844–1846, 2 volumes. London, Office of the National Illustrated Library, n. d. (1851), 100 engravings on wood. ISBN 0-486-25438-0. Chicago 1898; reprint (1998) ISBN 81-206-1379-1.
- Authorized English tr. Mrs. Percy Sinnett, A Journey through Tartary, Thibet, and China during the Years 1844, 1845 and 1846, 2 vols., New York, D. Appleton (1852); London, Longmans (1859). ISBN 1-4021-7879-4.
- L'Empire Chinois 2 vols., Paris (1854); The Chinese Empire, forming a sequel to recollections of a journey through Tartary and Thibet. tr. Mrs. Percy Sinnett. London, Longmans (1855).
- Christianity in China, Tartary and Thibet, 3 vols., London, Longman, etc., (1857—1858). Le Christianisme en Chine, 4 vols., Paris (1857—1858).
- Huc, Evariste Regis (1855). The Chinese Empire: forming a sequel to the work entitled "Recollections of a journey (Vol. 1) London: Longman, Brown, Green,and Longmans. -University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives, China Through Western Eyes
- Huc, Evariste Regis (1855). The Chinese Empire: forming a sequel to the work entitled "Recollections of a journey (Vol.2) London: Longman, Brown, Green,and Longmans. -University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives, China Through Western Eyes
- Huc, Evariste Regis (1857–58). Christianity in China, Tartary and Thibet (Vol. 1) London: Longman, Brown, Green. -University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives, China Through Western Eyes
- Huc, Evariste Regis (1857–58). Christianity in China, Tartary and Thibet (Vol. 2) London: Longman, Brown, Green. -University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives, China Through Western Eyes
- Huc, Evariste Regis (1857–58). Christianity in China, Tartary and Thibet (Vol.3) London: Longman, Brown, Green. -University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives, China Through Western Eyes
Literature
- Jacqueline Thevenet, Le Lama du Ciel d'Occident Paris, Payot (2004) ISBN 2-228-89862-7
- Jean Guillemot, "From Peking to Lhassa, an Extraordinary Adventure", Futura-Sciences (1/3/2006) - in French
- C.-H. Desgodins, La Mission du Tibet, de 1855 à 1870, comprenant l'exposé des Affaires religieuses et divers documents sur ce pays, d'après les lettres de l'abbé [Auguste] Desgodins, Verdun, Ch. Laurent (1872) ISBN 0-543-89023-6
- H. Trotter, "Account of the Pundit's [Nain Singh's] Journey in Great Tibet from Leh in Ladakh to Lhasa, and of His Return to India via Assam: Abridgement", Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol. 21, No. 4 (1876–1877), pp. 325–350.
- Thomas Hungerford Holdich, Tibet, the Mysterious, New York, Frederick A. Stokes Co. (1906) - Google Books