Sara Wheeler

A mighty river with many names: adventures on the Amur

Even cracked ribs and a broken fibula don’t deter the octogenarian Colin Thubron from following the course of the vast waterway that borders Russia and China

The Heilongjiang River (or Amur) partly frozen at Beiji in Mohe, northern China. [Alamy] 
issue 11 September 2021
  • Comments

  • The Amur River: Between Russia and China

    Colin Thubron

    Chatto & Windus, pp. 294, £20

The Amur is the eighth or tenth longest river in the world, depending on whom you believe. The veteran travel writer and novelist Colin Thubron reckons 2,826 miles the best estimate. In these pages he makes an arc-shaped journey from source to mouth: Mongolia to the Pacific via Russia and China.

GIF Image

Disagree with half of it, enjoy reading all of it

TRY A MONTH FREE
Our magazine articles are for subscribers only. Try a month of Britain’s best writing, absolutely free.

Read next

Trending

William Clouston

Remembering Patrick O’Flynn

The unanticipated and deeply sad news of Patrick O’Flynn’s death is a blow to so many – not just to his close family but also to those in the world of politics and journalism and for many throughout the country. Patrick was a fine journalist, a true gentleman and one of the nicest people you would ever meet

More on pollution

Also by Sara Wheeler

Latest

Comments

Join the debate, free for a month

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first month free.

Already a subscriber? Log in