page_title: Annie Royle Taylor
section_title: Expedition to Tibet
hierarchical_section_title: Annie Royle Taylor / Expedition to Tibet
caption_attribution_description: English: The site of Domka Nedo monastery in Nangchen (Nangqên), now within the limits of Yushu county, Yushu TAP (Qinghai) Deutsch: Lage und Gesamtansicht des Klosters Domka Nedo im Kreis Yushu/ Nangchen (Nangqên) des autonomen tibetischen Distrikts Yushu (Qinghai)
context_page_description: Hannah Royle Taylor, known as Annie Royle Taylor, was an English explorer and Evangelical missionary to China. She was the first Western woman known to have visited Tibet. She attempted to reach the "forbidden" city of Lhasa in 1892-1893.
context_section_description: In 1889, Taylor journeyed to Darjeeling, India and subsequently to Sikkim to study the Tibetan language at a Buddhist monastery.  While there she converted to Christianity a young Tibetan named Pontso, about 19 years old, who was to accompany her on her expedition to Tibet. In March 1891, she left Sikkim with Pontso and traveled to China, making her way to Tianshui where she founded a mission.  Tianshui was a jumping off spot for commerce with Tibet.   
  On 2 September 1892, Taylor and Pontso left Tianshui with three Chinese helpers (one died and another left the party shortly), sixteen horses, two months food and equipment, and the objective of reaching Lhasa, capital of Tibet, closed to foreigners. Taylor shaved her hair and wore Tibetan dress to disguise herself as a Tibetan.  They proceeded southwest, passing through lands belonging to Mongol and Golog nomads, losing some of their horses to bandits, and spending two months without seeing a house.  They arrived in Gyêgu (Jyekundo), the center of the tea trade between China and Tibet on 11 November, but bypassed the town, fearing they would be apprehended by the authorities.  From Gyegu they followed a well-known caravan trail toward Lhasa. 
  By this time, the little caravan was riven with dissention with Taylor fearing that Noga, her hired Chinese Muslim guide, might betray or even murder her.  The transcriber of Taylor's diary, who knew Taylor well, suggests that Noga did not consider himself a servant, but rather an equal and that the dissention might have been due to misunderstanding of the hierarchy of their relationship.  To Taylor's relief, Noga departed on 14 December. 
  On 3 January 1893, cold, most of their horses dead or stolen and without food—but only three days march from Lhasa—Taylor, Pontsu, and another servant were apprehended by Tibetan authorities beyond Nagchu.  After several days of difficult negotiations, Taylor was told that she must return to China by the shortest route. She demanded food and horses from the Tibetans, complained about the quality of both, and traded her watch for a tent.  On 19 January, with a ten-soldier escort, she and her two companions departed Nagchu and returned to Gyêgu.  The soldiers soon left them in the company of merchants and she traveled onward in bitter cold, reaching Gyêgu on 21 February.  From Gyêgu, she arranged to continue her journey with Chinese merchants via the tea road to Tachienlu(Kangding today), paying Tibetans to carry their few remaining goods. On 12 April 1893 she and Pontso, her only remaining companion, arrived in Kangding.  French missionaries there assisted her and two days later she departed to the coast of China and to return to England.
caption: Domka Nedo monastery near Gyegu. When Taylor passed through this region in November 1892 it was cold and snowy.
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