Reports on the Scientific Expedition to the North-Western Provinces of China under the Leadership of Dr Sven Hedin. Vol. VIII

1943

Expedition Reports Q115 S59 1927

Tryckeri aktiebolaget Thule

Swedish geographer and explorer, Sven Hedin (b. 1865), was getting old when he organised the Sino-Swedish Expedition to Mongolia, Xinjiang and the Gobi Desert beginning in 1927. Hedin facilitated the expedition which included over 30 scientists from several countries including China. The main aim of the expedition was geological but also included archaeological, meteorological and topographical researches. Danish anthropologist, Henning Haslund-Christensen, recorded the music and songs of the Mongol people for his part in the expedition. In one of his photographs (see bottom right) a Mongol man sings ‘a song about horses to his horse’. The instrument being played is known as a horse-head fiddle and only has two strings.