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September 30, 1921: Sirén was on board the Taiyo Maru and was scribbling in his notebook in a raging storm. The ship had just passed the 180 degree longitude line, and he noted that stormy weather was rather common around there. The Pacific Ocean was not exactly as peaceful as its name suggests. Then he went on appreciatively about the weather: I rather like the stormy days, because they make the people be less noisy; keep them more in their cabins & prevent all fussing & dancing & courting on the decks. You are more allowed to enjoy nature undisturbed. How fine it is, when you come up on the deck in the morning, finding it practically empty—all to yourself. Then you enjoy the sea and the sky!1 Sirén traveled by ship across the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans several times in his life.2 He preferred to spend his time on board working—in the notes he mentions studying Chinese language and reading the biography of the monk Xuanzang 玄奘 (602?–64), a famous Buddhist pilgrim who traveled to India and brought Buddhist scriptures back to Xi’an.3 Sirén was also taking good care of himself physically by swimming and visiting the gymnasium for exercise. In his occasional personal observations he was quite critical about his fellow passengers or people around him: The more animated the life on board becomes, the less enjoyable for one who does not go in for whirl. I hope the culmination was reached last night with the so-called fancy dress ball and all the revel & noise it necessarily aroused. . . . After all, there was some intelligence in a few of the costumes but very little in the so called dancing & enjoyment during the latter part of the night: the animal side of human nature was given free play (drinking, cardplaying, fussing, making the boat impossible for the fellow passengers). People seem to use boat journeys principally for giving the lower side free play. . . . If anything can make you believe in the monkey theory, a sea journey on one of these large streamers 5 The Expedition That Lasted Too Long 56 Enchanted by Lohans ought to do so: jumping & running missionaries—drinking & gambling businessmen & young people who act without shame or sense.4 Though some grumpiness towards the fellow passengers is visible in his notes, a different streak of character is found in the scattered admonitions that dot his scribbles, for example: “Happiness is a perfume which you cannot sprinkle upon others without getting a drop of it in yourself.”5 Or, “Don’t limit yourself through too much caution or fear. Don’t dislike others, understand them. Don’t be easily licked. Don’t distrust or be suspicious. Don’t be shy—if you are. Yes, don’t stand in your own light, for you can reach big spiritual goals, and have spiritual influence over others, if you will.”6 At least he was striving to become more open-minded and humble. Sirén seems to have had a Janus-like character, which was noted by some of his colleagues. He could be very amiable and sociable, great company; yet, he could be “cynical and unscrupulous” as well, and sometimes did things of “questionable taste” professionally.7 The westbound passage from the west coast of the United States to Shanghai has been described as dismal because the passengers returning from holidays were not often very enthusiastic to be back on their jobs. The partying on board was more carefree and joyous on the eastbound passages.8 Nevertheless, this was the Golden Age of the enormous passenger steamers. The ships crossing the Pacific were not as luxurious as the ones on the Atlantic, but one could travel very comfortably if one had the means. When Sirén wholeheartedly embraced Chinese culture, he first directed his energies to archaeology and architecture. The voyage in 1921–23 was in many ways pivotal with regard to Sirén’s career. It also ended in his dismissal from his post as a professor at the University of Stockholm because the expedition lasted too long and he overstayed his leave of absence. The China that Sirén was to meet was entangled in war and political turmoil. The overthrow of the Manchu regime, the Qing dynasty, in 1911 had not brought peace and political stability. Matters were not made any easier by the meddling of foreign powers: Japan and many of the Western nations guarded their own interests rigorously. When...

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