The world\u27s major rivers have long held a fascination for man as adventurer ,scholar, and political opportunist. The Mekong River which links the Yunnan highlands and the South China Sea is in many respects the premier river system in mainland Southeast Asia. Much of its early history and association with human activity still remains obscure. As recently as 1860 1itt1e was sti11 known of its course and sources, and what little knowledge did exist was colored by cartographic imagination
