Crowdsourcing avant la lettre: Henri Cordier and French Sinology, ca. 1875–1925

This article examines the French sinologist Henri Cordier’s correspondence as a form of crowdsourcing between 1875 and 1925. Cordier’s multinational and multidirectional exchanges show the vital role of letter writing in his development as a student of China. The letters also reveal the manifold interests of different Western knowledge communities.