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Description

The First Motor Expedition Across Asia -- Beirut to Beijing

Detailed map of the Citroën expedition, published to help the French public follow the expedition's progress across Asia.

The expedition was undertaken in Citroën manufactured cars, modified to include a tank trank in the rear, in order to deal with the extreme terrain and difficult roads faced by the expedition.

The map shows the proposed route (with a red dashed line where possible variation was anticipated) including a return leg via Indochina.

Below the map is an elevation profile, emphasizing the mountainous terrain and change of altitude the expedition faced.

'La Croisière Jaune' was the third expedition organized by André Citroën to be led by Haardt, his friend and right-hand man at Automobiles Citroën, and Haardt's deputy, Audouin-Dubreuil. As with the earlier motor expeditions across the Sahara and Central Africa utilizing Citroën half-tracks, Citroën aimed to raise awareness of his brand and its technical excellence.

The Central Asian expedition was the first to cross the Himalayas by motor transport. Haardt himself contracted pneumonia and died in Hong Kong in 1932, having completed his 13,000 km journey from Beirut to Beijing.