Watercraft on Lower Yang Tse River and China's Coast - Free Downloads

A duck hatchery boat. From Audemard, L., Les Jonques Chinoises, Vol. 6, Plate 76. See main text for further desription.

Three more volumes of the series Les Jonques Chinoises, by L. Audemard are now available in two free downloads:

Vol. 6: Bas Yang Tse Kiang, 1965. Tremendous variety of boats and ships on the lower Yang Tse. One of my favorites is the duck hatchery vessel illustrated above. Here's Google Translate's version of part of the description:

"These boats must be ranked among the most original designs in the chosen industry. They are found on most rivers and streams, along the sheltered coasts, mainly in the province of Kouan-tung where duck breeding is practiced with prodigious intensity for the sale of eggs which China exports in considerable quantity in all parts of the world.

"These are wide and spacious boats where the ducks occupy a privileged place under a vast shelter covered with mats extending over the greater part of the deck, while the owner and his family skirt aft, in a small hut. A slanted board at the front serves as a walkway for the ducks to descend into the water."

Vols. 7 and 8: Côtes Nord et Sud de la Chine, 1969. Two volumes published in a single tome. Volume 7 is junks of the north coast of China; Volume 8 is junks of the south coast. As might be expected, most of the vessels illustrated and described are ships, but there are a fair number of small craft too.

The volumes were published by the Museum Voor Land en Volkenkunde and Miritiem Museum "Prins Hendrik", which have given us permission to post them here. Scans were made available to us by an enthusiast who wishes to remain anonymous. Like the other volumes in this series, the books are in French.

Hiking out on a small, two-masted coastal vessel. It's interesting to see that not all "junks" are junk-rigged. From Audemard, L., Les Jonques Chinoises, Vol. 8, Plate 26.