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The River Mekong is the world's 12th-longest river. From its Himalayan source on the Tibetan plateau, it flows some 4,350 km (2,703 miles) through China's Yunnan province, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, finally draining in the South China Sea. The recent construction of hydroelectric dams on the river and its tributaries has reduced the water flow dramatically during the dry season in Southeast Asia.
This illustration is based on a watercolor by Louis Delaporte—one of dozens he produced during his two-year venture (1866-68) with the Mekong Exploration Commission sponsored by the French Ministry of the Navy, the intention of which was to lay the groundwork for the expansion of French colonies in Indochina. Traveling the Mekong by boat, the small French delegation voyaged from Saigon to Phnom Penh to Luang Prabang, then farther north into the uncharted waters of Upper Laos and China's Yunnan province, before returning to Hanoi in 1868 by foot, accompanied by porters and elephants. In this illustration, a reunion takes place: Delaporte and other members of the expedition had taken a detour to Siam on the Mun River and waited until Lagree and his retinue returned from a logistics trip to Phnom Penh.
The River Mekong is the world's 12th-longest river. From its Himalayan source on the Tibetan plateau, it flows some 4,350 km (2,703 miles) through China's Yunnan province, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, finally draining in the South China Sea. The recent construction of hydroelectric dams on the river and its tributaries has reduced the water flow dramatically during the dry season in Southeast Asia. In this 1867 drawing by Louis Delaporte, two- to three-meter-wide whirlpools prevented a French Mekong expedition from navigating the river, and they had to carry their pirogues and cargo upstream.
This illustration by Louis Delaporte is one of dozens he produced during his two-year venture (1866-68) with the Mekong Exploration Commission sponsored by the French Ministry of the Navy, the intention of which was to lay the groundwork for the expansion of French colonies in Indochina. Of this encounter, he wrote: “Barely ashore, I saw a Laotian coming to meet me, his distinguished bearing and numerous retinue showing he was an important man. Big, well-built, draped in Roman style with a robe that covered his whole body, he had a bearing rare in Laos and a truly remarkable face.”