The Great Game (Entry #12)

The explorations (or Great Game) that took place in Central Asia were embarked on for the purpose of retrieving resources, such as oil, that were of use to industrializing nations. They were also for the purpose of obtaining “spheres of influence” for colonizing countries, such as Britain. Since many of the entries into places like Yarkand were under surveillance by the British, the rivaling nation (Russia) would send in “moonshees” or pundits to examine the areas for them since the pundits were allowed to move freely between the places. What was interesting was the methods that were used to survey the locations. For example, prayer beads were used to measure distance, in which each tenth and larger bead marked half a mile. This was done so as to cleverly hide the true intentions of these individuals that went into these areas for the Russian envoys.

Another explanation that was given by the Russians for these expeditions was to establish “victories for the good of mankind.” I found this particularly interesting because if anyone else were to invade Russia, it would be seen as a threat and violation. Moreover, the tension between the Russians and British could be felt through their descriptions of one another. Petrovsky described Russia a great nation for it had no gaps between the rich and poor, whereas for Britain, he illustrates them as a weaker nation because the separations between the classes. Another thing that was interesting was reading the reactions of many Western individuals that came to Bokhara, who were “struck” and “horrified” by the slave trade that existed there. Their horror is expressed strongly since they believed that the people in Bokhara would even trade Prophet Muhammad in slavery.

Reading on the explorers that were involved in the journey of discovering the Silk Road was intriguing. First of all, it reminded me of the book we read in the beginning of this course, titled Foreign Devils on the Silk Road because it outlines a lot of the hurdles they faced and the romantic side to the Silk Road. Many of the explorers were not married and even though some were close to their family, they still led isolated lives. They were married to “Asia” and the journeys they underwent. However, these journeys probably might not even have occurred because the Tibetans were protective of the culture and relics. It made me think about what the result would have been had these “archaeologists” not gone on these expeditions. On one hand, I understand why the Tibetans wanted to protect everything from the hands of the dominating nations. Yet, if these countries did not get into researching the findings from the various places along the Silk Road, would China be able to yield the same results? Would they ever had built such a strong need to discover their past and preserving the treasures?

Also, the picture that is painted of these explorers is of one that reveals sacrifices. Not only did they give up a social life but they also put their lives in the hands of their dangerous journey that involved things like starvation and dehydration. Even though people like Hedin had near death experiences, they still went on more expeditions. One would think this would stop them from going back into these deserts but it didn't. It made me think about their lives and what kind of person would do such a thing...was it dedication? Selfishness that involved the need be better than other explorers? Or was there some magical pull that the Silk Road had on these individuals?

Lastly, Huntington's view on the character of the people that lived in Asia was striking to me. He believed that the climate had something to do with the traits of people. For example, he believed that the Persians were liars because of the climate since dry and extreme conditions messes up their “nervous equilibrium.” I found this both odd and amusing.