Scientific results of Mannerheim's expedition in Asia, 1906-1908

Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim’s expedition in Chinese (Eastern) Turkestan and in some internal provinces of the Qing Empire occupies an important place, both in the biography of Mannerheim himself and in the history of explorations in Central Asia. Many books and articles have been written about this expedition. However, the authors mainly devote their attention to the reconnaissance tasks of the Chinese expedition, paying little, if any, attention to its scientific results. This article focuses on studying the scientific aspect of the Chinese expedition of Mannerheim. The question of preparing the expedition and the role of the Finno-Ugrian society in its organization are of primary consideration. Mannerheim’s contacts with the well-known Russian military specialists in China and Russian diplomats-sinologists are also studied. The course of the expedition, its factual results, as well as some disputable points are analyzed. Ethnographic, archaeological, numismatic collections gathered during the expedition and now stored in Finnish museums are described, and feasible approaches to their study are suggested.