fessor AMADEUS GRABAU, the world-famous palaeontologist, held in the highest esteem by Chinese and whites alike. His hospitable home was always open to all the pioneers of education and culture in Peking. During a later stage of our expedition GRABAU also proved a powerful support for two of my Swedish palaeontologists, and he took upon himself the task of setting up and classifying certain of our collections.
In the Geological Survey, at Professor GRABAU's house, and at the pleasant and instructive meetings we had in the homes of Drs WONG, TING and other learned Chinese, we often met the French Jesuit Father TEII,HARD DE CHARDIN, who was equally well known as geologist, palaeontologist and archaeologist. Père TEILHARD is one of my friends in Peking that I remember with particular gratitude; and I shall never forget the powerful and encouraging moral support he always lent me when the prospects for the execution of my plans seemed blackest and others considered the position as hopeless.
CONTRACT WITH THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Professor ANDERSSON and I had frequent conferences with Dr WONG WEN-IiAO. Between WONG and the expedition a contract was drawn up to the same effect as that previously signed by Professor ANDERSSON on behalf of the Swedish China Committee, whose chairman was the Crown Prince. The most important point was that all finds of archaeological, palaeontological and geological objects should remain in China, a stipulation that from the Chinese point of view was understandable enough. Dr WONG expressed the desire that the two young geologists WANG and CHAO, together with an archaeologist, should be allowed to accompany the expedition, a proposal in which we concurred the more readily as it was only to our advantage to have educated and competent Chinese in our ranks. The expedition therefore received the name »The Sino-Swedish Expedition ».
In this way our own situation cleared, while the political clouds darkened over our heads. Full of subtle charm and stately as always, the ancient imperial city encompassed us with its walls, its palaces, temples and towers; yet all of us longed to get away from the den of intrigue and gossip into which it was turned by the human greed for power and influence, by envy, avarice and suspicion. We longed to get away to the wonderfully uplifting stillness and quiet of the desert, to our labours in the service of research and to the performance of our chief mission — to pave the way for the aeroplanes that were to form connecting links between Germany and China, between Europe and the Far East.
When, on March 4th, everything seemed clear, I wired to LARSON, in Pao-t'ou, instructing him to set about the immediate purchase of the two hundred camels
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