俄国探险家波塔宁对晚清西北蒙古的考察

The Questing of Vladimir Potanin in Northwest Mongolia in the late Qing Dynasty

波塔宁是俄国19世纪末至20世纪初最重要的亚洲考察组织者之一,足迹遍及中国青海、西藏、蒙古等地区。在历次考察中,他不仅进行了大量地理测绘、采集了很多动植物标本,还着力开展了一系列人文考察,并收集了大量蒙古民间传说和故事,为俄国蒙古学研究积累了不少一手资料。作为俄国地理学会19世纪中后期至20世纪初中央亚细亚考察活动的一个组成部分,其考察也难免带有一定的政治目的。

Potanin is one of the most important organizers of Russian expeditions in Asia from the end of 19th century to the beginning of 20th century, and his footmarks extended Qinghai, Tibet, Mongo- lia and so on. In every expeditions, Potanin not only surveyed the geographical situation, collected plant and animal specimens, but also exert himself to do some humanity investigations, and gathered many folklores and stories of Mongolia, thus he accumulated a lot of first-hand materials for Russian Mongolian studies. And at the same time from the manning and the achievements it can be known, that the Potanin＇ s expeditions are objective and fair scientific and research activities. But as part of expeditions in Central Asia, which were organized ginning of 20th century, his expedi by Russian geographic society from the late of 19th century to the be- tions have a certain political qualities inevitably.