A fascinating travel adventure may be found in Jules Verne's The
Adventures of a Special Correspondent. Claudius Bombarnac, a reporter
tasked with travelling from a port on the Caspian to China through the
Transasiatic Railways, serves as the protagonist of the novel. A
fascinating cast of individuals, including one who is attempting to
break the round-the-world record and another who is a stowaway, go with
him on this expedition. In order for his novel to be more than simply a
dry travelogue, Claudius hopes that one of them will end up becoming the
protagonist. When a special car, guarded by soldiers, is added to the
train and is claimed to be transporting the remains of a famous
Mandarin, he is not dismayed. The huge Mandarin is really a sizable
shipment that is being sent back to China from Persia. Unfortunately,
the train must pass through a significant portion of China that is under
the corrupt rule of robber-chiefs. Claudius locates his hero before the
voyage is over.