Boats of Vietnam and China's East Coast - free book downloads

Vietnamese "three plank canoe" (i.e., sampan) of stitched construction, used in shallow and rocky tributaries of the Mekong River. From Audemard, Les Jonques Chinoises, vol. 10, plate 42.

Now available for download are two more volumes of the series Les Jonques Chinoises, by L. Audemard:

Les Jonques Chinoises, Vol. 9: Côtes Est (east coasts), 1970. 

Les Jonques Chinoises, Vol. 10: Indochine (Indochina [i.e., Vietnam]), 1971

Both are in French and full of wonderful illustrations showing the vast range of traditional watercraft types of these regions. For non-French speakers, Google Translate makes it easy enough to make sense of the text concerning any boat that piques your curiosity. 

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. Several other volumes in this series are available on the same page; all are free downloads.

A fisherman's raft from the island of Amoy, built of 5-6 bamboo stems about 2m long, tied with cords of bamboo fiber. From Audemard, Les Jonques Chinoises, vol. 9, plate 78.

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. 

Audemard's Chinese Junks: Free Downloads of Two New Volumes

Crooked stern junk on the Yangtse River. Plate 30 from Les Jonques Chinoises, Vol. 5, Haut Yang Tse Kiang, by L. Audemard, 1963

Now available for free download are two more volumes of the series Les Jonques Chinoises, by L. Audemard:

Vol. 4: Description des Jonques, 1962. This volume is a statistical survey of junks in China -- where they were, in what numbers, of what capacity, etc. The only graphics are maps.

Vol. 5: Haut Yang Tse Kiang, 1963. This volume describes not only the boats themselves on the upper Yangtse River, but also pays considerable attention to their usage, including propulsion (especially man-hauling), sleeping arrangements, provisioning, etc. Many surprising vessel types illustrated, including stitched/sewn craft, dugout canoes, rafts, and the intriguing crooked-stern junk shown above. So many wonderful illustrations that it was difficult to choose only two for this post.

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.

Enjoy!

Preparing a meal on a junk. Plate 5 from Les Jonques Chinoises, Vol. 5, Haut Yang Tse Kiang, by L. Audemard, 1963