Through Shen-Kan Revisiting Loess Plateau

In 1908, the American adventurer Robert Sterling Clark organized an international scientific expedition to the hinterland of the Loess Plateau in northern China. One century after the expedition, Li Ju, a Chinese freelance photographer, followed in the footsteps of the Clark expedition and re-explored their route, covering thousands

of kilometers.

One century after the expedition, Li Ju, a Chinese freelance photographer, followed in the footsteps of the Clark expedition and re-explored, their route, covering thousands of kilometers. He has re-photographed a number of views originally captured by the expedition team, recording again the landscape and historical sites and the way people who inhabit this land conduct their daily lives.

   To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the publication of Through Shen-Kan, China intercontinental Press has assembled a selection of the original photos taken by the Clark expedition and recent images taken by Li Ju and his colleagues. This book gives both Chinese and foreign readers an intuitive and vivid understanding of the historical appearance of northwestern China and the dramatic changes that have occurred in the past century--a comparative visual essay on the passage of time and the continuity of culture.