Xú Hóngzǔ 徐宏祖 / 徐弘祖 (1587–1641), zì Zhènzhī 振之, hào Xiákè 霞客; native of Jiāngyīn 江陰 in Chángzhōu (Jiāngsū). The greatest pre-modern Chinese travel-writer and proto-geographer; conventionally regarded as a founder of modern Chinese geographical observation and physical geography. Born to a Jiāngyīn literati family of moderate means; refused civil-service ambitions and devoted his life to travel, supported by his mother (who took the unusual decision to encourage rather than restrain him). From age 22 (1608) onwards travelled almost continuously across most of Míng-period China, including the famous final five-year south-west expedition (1636–1640) through Zhèjiāng, Jiāngxī, Húguǎng, Guǎngxī, Guìzhōu, and Yúnnán; he died at home in early 1641 shortly after his return, his health broken. Recorded his observations in detailed daily diaries, posthumously edited and circulated as the Xú Xiákè yóujì 徐霞客遊記 (KR2k0135). Major scientific contributions: the systematic identification of the Jīnshā River (rather than the upper Mín) as the source of the Yangzi; the first systematic Chinese description of South-China karst geomorphology. CBDB: 62822 (徐宏祖) and 129892 (徐弘祖) — the same person; the form 弘 is original (the Wànlì-period family name), 宏 is a Qián-lóng-period taboo replacement for the emperor’s personal name Hónglì. Catalog meta uses 徐宏祖 per the Sìkù practice.