Three Exotic Views of Southeast Asia: The Travel Narratives of Isabella Bird, Max Dauthendey, and Ai Wu, 1850-1930 : Eastbridge Books : 9781788690638 : 178869063X : 01 Apr 2002 : This critical study of three intrepid travelers to Southeast Asia--Bird (1831-1904), Dauthendey (1867-1918), Wu (1904-1992)--combines detailed analysis of travel literature with carefully researched historical background and argues that any travel narrative is inevitably a product of the traveler's own cultural and social background. Thus travel narrative is never an objective account--the reader must take into consideration the traveler's own history. By juxtaposing the views of a Chinese with those of two Western travelers, this book shows that prejudice and racism can exist in both the West and the East. In choosing a Victorian traveler, a German poet, and a Chinese writer, Ng's study encompasses a geographical area that includes Britain, Germany, China, as well as Southeast Asia and an historical span fro