Frontiers of Heaven: A Journey To The End Of China

by Stanley Stewart

Winner of the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award
For the Chinese, the Great Wall of China has defined much more than a physical barrier. Over the centuries it has represented a psychological frontier - within it lies the Celestial Kingdom, the compass of all civilization. Beyond lies a barbaric world of chaos and exile.
In Frontiers of Heaven, author Stanley Stewart recounts his wanderings halfway across Asia. The journey takes him from Shanghai to the banks of the Indus, and along the way he encounters the modern Chinese for whom these regions beyond the Wall still hold the same morbid fascination. Today, the great western province of Xinjiang is still a land of exile, the destination of soldiers, reluctant settlers, political prisoners, and disgraced officials.
Whether describing the lost cities of Central Asia, a Buddhist monastery in the shadow of Tibet, or a love affair in Xi'an, Stewart tells his story with charm and affection.

Genres: Travel, China, Nonfiction, Asia, Memoir

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Stanley Stewart FRSL is a writer. He is the author of three travel books: Old Serpent Nile, Frontiers of Heaven and In the Empire of Genghis Khan about journeys to the source of the Nile, through China to Xinjiang province, and across Mongolia by horse. The last two books both won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award, in 1996 and 2001 respectively, making Stewart the only writer, with Jonathan Raban, to have won this prestigious award twice. He is a contributing editor at Conde Nast Traveller UK. His work appears in various periodicals including the Sunday Times, the Daily Telegraph, and National Geographic Traveler, and has been included in numerous anthologies on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2008 he was named the Magazine Writer of the year. He was born in Ireland, grew up in Canada, and has spent most of his adult life in the UK.

Reviews

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I lived in Beijing from 1998 - 2002 and was charmed by this engaging story of the author's travels through China to Pakistan. More than just a travel book, this combines history, geography, and the author's adventures to create a most entertaining tale. Author is obviously a Chinese speaker to be able to engage fellow passengers on trains, particularly the "hard sleepers" and buses. Highly recommended for all lovers of travel books as well as those with an interest in China.

[Daren · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the early 1990's, Stewart travels from Shanghai, up the Yangtse, to Xi'an, then along the silk road through to Kashgar, and on into Pakistan. I enjoy his writing style - articulate and well balanced with history, descriptions of places and interactions with people, and in good humour.
"In the southern suburbs of Xi'an stands the Big Goose Pagoda, so named because its namesake in India marked the spot where a dead goose fell out of the sky. This must be a fairly routine event for dead geese, but the monks who witnessed it demise, possibly light headed from chanting, decided the ex-goose was a saint and set about building. It is the kind of episode that can give religion a bad name." P54
"I arrived in the village just as two sheep were being slaughtered, and I though, as their glazed eyes fixed on mine, how strange it was that their last glimpse of the world should be a foreigner in a brown trilby. Despite this shock, they went quietly." P195/196
Worth reading for there sorts of paragraphs alone.

[Ian Hodkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second time round for this one although I didn't remember until about a third of the way through when he had his dalliance with the young lady from the library. Regardless, and it was some years since I read it, it flows easily and provides a valuable insight into China and its western region in the early years of its opening up. I enjoyed it (again).

[Jean Prewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best travel books I've read (and there are a lot). Stewart is articulate, respectful and open to the humor of the experience. I buy extra copies to give to friends interested in China and travel.

[Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a marvelous travel book mostly about the Silk Road with the perfect balance of history, interactions with the interesting people he met, and descriptions of what he experienced. It is a good journey down memory lane, too, as I reflected on my own experiences visiting some of those places. It captured travel during the 90s: the various levels of seating in trains, how hard it was to get tickets, and the openness.

[Sheila Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written!

[Jacqueline]

A wonderful journey through the more inaccessible parts of China.