A King in China

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

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Joseph Rock worked for the National Geographic Society between 1922 and 1935.
He was twice Leader of the National Geographic Society's Yunnan Province Expedition
in 1923 and again between 1927 and 1930. He wrote 10 articles in all for the magazine

 

National Geographic Society

OUR MAN IN CHINA: JOSEPH ROCK

Conceived of by Joergen Birman, picture editor at
the National Geographic Society, and written by
  Mike Edwards and photographed by Michael Yamashita
in Yunnan, this article appeared in the January 1997
issue of the National Geographic magazine

 

 
ARTICLES SUMMARY (as written at the time)
March 1922
 Hunting the Chaulmoogra Tree		 The author, an agricultural explorer, goes in search of an indigenous Burmese tree that yields an oil that may provide a cure for leprosy - and hopes to learn whether the species can be grown in Hawaii
November 1924
 Banishing the Devil of Disease Among the Nashi:
Weird Ceremonies Performed by an Aboriginal Tribe in the Heart of Yunnan Province, China		 The leader of the National Geographic Society's Yunnan Province Expedition visits an isolated Tibeto-Burmese community where sorcerers treat disease by symbol, sacrifice, and elaborate sets of rituals
April 1925
 The Land of the Yellow Lama		 Legendary writer and photographer Joseph F. Rock brings a little-known corner of China to light, enjoying an audience with the region's ruler and observing the religious ceremonies of the lamas
April 1925
 The National Geographic Society's Yunnan Province Expedition		 Society President Gilbert H. Grosvenor summarizes a Geographic-sponsored mission to the Yunnan region of China to collect samples of local flora and fauna
September 1925
Experiences of a Lone Geographer		 In an informal letter from China, the indefatigable Joseph F. Rock relates a dangerous leg of his journey to Tibet to collect plant samples from that region
August 1926
 Through the Great River Trenches of Asia:
National Geographic Society Explorer Follows the Yangtze, Mekong, and Salwin Through Mighty Gorges, Some of Whose Canyon Walls Tower to a Height of More Than Two Miles		 Joseph Rock realizes his goal to bring home to America in pictures the sheer rock faces and churning waters of China's famous river gorges and the lifestyles of those who live along them
November 1928
 Life Among the Lamas of Choni:
Describing the Mystery Plays and Butter Festival in the Monastery of an Almost Unkonwn Tibetan Principality in Kansu Province, China		 A guest in the lamasery thanks to the local prince, Joseph Rock gains entrance to all religious ceremonies, where he is treated with honor and permitted to photograph the events
February 1930
 Seeking the Mountains of Mystery:
An Expedition on the China-Tibet Frontier to the Unexplored Amnyi Machen Range, One of Whose Peaks Rivals Everest		 Over 25,000 feet tall at the highest peak, the snow-crowned Amnyi Machen Mountains (A'nyemagen Shan) on the Tibet-China border form a natural barrier that fosters a highland culture unaffected by outside influences
October 1930
 The Glories of the Minya Konka:
Magnificent Snow Peaks of the China-Tibetan Border Are Photographed at Close Range by a National Geographic Society Expedition		 A seven-month expedition returns with vivid descriptions and natural-color photographs of these snow-coated mountains reaching more than 25,000 feet in altitude
July 1931
 Konka Risumgongba, Holy Mountain of the Outlaws		 Ancient tribes inhabit China's far western provinces, removed from the modern cities and devoted to rituals involving devil dancers and mountain gods
October 1935
Sungmas, the Living Oracles of the Tibetan Church		 Tibet's Sungmas, or oracles are said to be the abodes of malignment spirits