Hotel Seman in Kashgar - former Russian consulate
In Kashgar, we stayed at a very pleasant hotel called Seman. It was partially housed in the building that was built for hte Russian consulate in the nineteenth century. The interior was very nice. We got to stay there an extra night (but in new rooms) because of the sandstorm that prevented our departure.
The consulate has some interesting history. The great Finnish statesman Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, who would go on to become both the Commander in Chief of the Finnish armed forces in World War II, Marshal and President of Finland, stayed here in 1906 at the beginning of his trip through China, where he spied on military instalments. As a Finlander, Mannerheim was a subject of the czar and he was an officer in the Russian cavalry. He pretended to be an ethnographic collector and joined the expedition of the great French sinologist Paul Pelliot. He had a falling-out with Pelliot early on, so he did most of his trip on his own, spying out Chinese military installations in preparation for a possible Russian invasion of western China.
The consulate has some interesting history. The great Finnish statesman Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, who would go on to become both the Commander in Chief of the Finnish armed forces in World War II, Marshal and President of Finland, stayed here in 1906 at the beginning of his trip through China, where he spied on military instalments. As a Finlander, Mannerheim was a subject of the czar and he was an officer in the Russian cavalry. He pretended to be an ethnographic collector and joined the expedition of the great French sinologist Paul Pelliot. He had a falling-out with Pelliot early on, so he did most of his trip on his own, spying out Chinese military installations in preparation for a possible Russian invasion of western China.
Kommentarer
Postat av: Cissi
Ville bara önska dig en trevlig onsdag! =)
Postat av: Jessica
Å, det ser jättefint ut!
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