Henry Lansdell was one of the great travellers of the Victorian age. Unlike many explorers of the time, Lansdell was open to different cultures and his travels yielded detailed accounts that were free from the racial and religious prejudices typical of the period. Chinese Central Asia recounts Lansdell's 9,000-mile journey across the Tian Shan Mountains and into Western China, and describes the peoples he encountered, their history and religion, crafts and customs, modes of dress, natural history, trade and medicine.

The two-volume set provides the first account in the English language of Chinese Turkestan, contains an extensive bibliography of more than 750 books and includes a new introduction by Irina Kantarbaeva-Bill.

Henry Lansdell (1841-1919) was an explorer, missionary, geographer and philanthropist. He travelled extensively throughout his life and his expeditions in areas of China, Russia and Central Asia led to his election to the Royal Asiatic Society, the Royal Geographical Society and the British Association for the Advancement of Science.

Irina Kantarbaeva-Bill is a research fellow at the University of Toulouse-Jean Jaures, France. Her research focuses on British and Russian imperial history and travel writing in the Victorian period. Her publications include Entre imaginaire et réel : les voyageurs britanniques en Asie centrale au XIXe siècle (2019).