Abstract
Our study aims to investigate the journey of Catherine de Bourboulon (1827-1865) with her husband, a French diplomat, from northern China to Mongolia and Russia, during which she wrote a diary published after her return to France in 1866. The text translates both her compassion for the Mongolians living in extreme poverty and her joy at their sense of hospitality as soon as she arrives in a village. But her point of view is part of a hierarchical relationship with the others. The study aims to shed light on Catherine de Bourboulon's art of travel. It is a particular tourism made of carelessness and lightness. The traveler tells picturesque scenes, and describes arid landscapes where live peaceful nomads. This journey, considered by some travelers of the XIXth century, as well as the writer Jules Vernes, as a real feat, still remains unknown today.
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