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1894 was an important year in Chinese history and even in world history. This year, Morrison, a medical graduate from the University of Edinburgh, could not speak Chinese, had no companions or translators, and relied on forty pounds sent by his mother to travel from Shanghai to Chongqing along the Yangtze River, and then walked to Yangon, Myanmar. I kept notes along the way and wrote this book. Shortly after Morrison's trip ended, the Sino-Japanese naval battle broke out. China suffered a disastrous defeat, and the fate of the ancient empire immediately hit rock bottom. At the moment before the turbulent historical wave arrives, what do the Chinese people described by Morrison-who and their descendants are about to face countless sufferings and challenges and finally gain national independence and liberation-show like? ? Those lively scenes of crossing the Xiajiang River, the dreamlike style of the post road inn, and the echoing caravan bells filling the mountains are constantly resurrected in Morrison's words, unfolding in front of the readers an ancient picture of China in the late Qing Dynasty without decoration. Through the eyes of a Scottish gentleman from a distant land, we return to China in 1894. Reading this book is more than just nostalgia.