Appendices Appendix 3.1 Zhang Xie, the Red-Haired

Appendices Appendix 3.1 Zhang Xie, The Red-Haired Barbarians From Dongxi yangkao 東西洋考 [Investigations on the East and West Seas], by Zhang Xie 張燮, orig. 1617 (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1981), 127–130. A digital version is avail- able at ctext: https://ctext.org/wiki.pl?if=gb&chapter=792663&remap=gb. Accessed June 21, 2019. Text between round brackets is the commentary in the original text. Text between square brackets contains comments, clarifications, and corrections essential for understanding the text. Minor comments are added in footnotes. The red-haired barbarians call their country Holland [helan 和蘭], which they say is adjacent to the land of the Farangi [folangji 佛郎機, the “Franks,” i.e. the Portuguese and Spanish]. Since ancient times, they never had contact before with China. Their people have deep sunken eyes and long noses, and their hair and beards are all red, for which reason we call them red-haired barbarians. (Commentary: Yan Shigu 顏師古 (581–645) writes: “The Rong barbarians of the western regions all have strange appear- ances. The foreigners of our day have blue eyes and red beards, and their bodies look like those of a species of monkeys”1). Another name is Misuguo 米粟果 (?). Because the Farangi had captured Luzon [Manila] and traded in Macao, the hearts of the Dutch were filled with envy. They embarked on their huge boats and began attacking every- thing between Java and Pattani, all the while building factories to serve as trade stations. Nevertheless, they were far removed from China, making them drool on the ground [thinking of trade with China]. Once, they attacked Luzon but Luzon repelled them, and they had to leave empty-handed. Then, they went to Macao but were beaten off by the Portuguese and returned angrily, waiting several years for another opportunity. (Commentary: The Guangdong Provincial Gazetteer writes: “The red-haired devils, we do not know from which country they are. In [the] winter of the twenty-ninth year of the Wanli reign period (1601), they came with a large vessel to Macao. They were dressed in red and their eyebrows, hair, and beards were also all red. Their feet from heel to toe were one foot and two inches long, and they were extraordinarily tall. The Portuguese interrogated them repeatedly, but through an interpreter they always re- plied that they only came to establish a tribute relationship [with China] and had no 1 This citation is found in a Tang dynasty commentary by Yan Shigu to the chapter on the western regions in the History of the Han. Thijs Weststeijn - 9789004418929 Downloaded from Brill.com09/23/2021 07:35:25PM via free access <UN> Appendices 305 intention to plunder. The official in charge however did not find such a beginning [of a tribute relationship] appropriate [because of the Portuguese]. Li Que sent orders to invite the Dutch chief [Van Neck] to sail to the city and stay for a month. But because the Portuguese were already in Macao and wanted to keep the situation as it is [in their favor], they did not allow them to come ashore, and they eventually left.”) Li Jin 李錦 was originally from Haicheng 海城 county [near Zhangzhou] and lived already a long time in Pattani, where he had become close with the Dutch. The shrewd merchants Pan Xiu 潘秀 and Guo Zhen 郭震 also lived in Pattani and traded back and forth with the Dutch. One day they discussed the matter of trading with the Chinese with the chief Van Warwijck, and Li Jin told him: “If you want to make a fortune, the best thing for you to do is to go to Zhangzhou. Because, outside Zhangzhou, the Peng- hu Islands (the Pescadores) lie in the open sea [near Taiwan], where you can build a fortress for its defense.” The chief said: “But what if the local officials do not approve?” Li Jin said: “The eunuch Gao Cai 高寀 is [the imperial tax collector] in Fujian province and has an insatiable greed for money. If we curry favor with him, the eunuch will send a memorial especially on your behalf [to the emperor] to hear your case [of establish- ing trade relationships with China], how could the local officials go against the imperial regulations [of granting free access to foreign envoys]?” The chief said: “Excellent!” Thereupon, they had letters from the king of Pattani sent to Fujian as an official in- vitation, one to the local dignitary [Gao Cai], one to the garrison commander, and one to the navy commander; but, in fact, all letters were drafted by Li Jin. Pan Xiu and Guo Zhen were dispatched to deliver the letters. However, when these two were on their way to Zhangzhou, the navy commander Tao Gongsheng 陶拱聖 heard of this and was greatly astonished. He had Pan Xiu apprehended halfway in broad daylight and thrown in jail. Zhen was allowed to continue because he had hidden his letter, which thus never arrived. In the beginning, Pan Xiu promised to the foreigners that, if a treaty was brokered, they could enter Fujian [waters] and that he would send a boat to welcome them. But the foreigners could not hold still and impatiently embarked on two large ships and two medium boats following in his tail. Soon thereafter, they occupied the Penghu Is- lands. That was in the seventh month of the thirty-second year of the Wanli reign-period (1604). At that time however, the Chinese soldiers had already been evacuated because of the rising waters and they arrived at a completely uninhabited wasteland. The foreigners then cut trees to build a factory and sold fish to obtain clothing. Li Jin, meanwhile, took a small fishing boat to sail up the river to Zhangzhou for some recon- naissance, deviously saying that he was an escaped prisoner of the foreigners and on his way home [to Haicheng]. The local official, however, had already learnt about his pro venance and had him arrested as well. In order to redeem themselves, he persuaded Li Jin and Pan Xiu to summon the foreigners to return to their country, and have Guo Zhen to join them in this plan as well. Li Jin, however, schemed with the foreign chief, Thijs Weststeijn - 9789004418929 Downloaded from Brill.com09/23/2021 07:35:25PM via free access <UN> 306 Appendices and was not prepared to sell out [the Dutch], only telling that the Chinese had not made a decision yet. Commander Zhan Xianzhong 詹獻忠 was subsequently dispatched with an order [to the Dutch] but, hoping for a big compensation, he instead brought along a lot of coins, silk, vegetables, and wine. The coastal people also smuggled Chinese goods to them for trade, and the more [trade] the foreigners saw, the less they were prepared to leave. Officials repeatedly sent them orders [to leave], but as soon as the envoys saw the foreigners, the topic was not raised, and the foreigners viewed their trade mission as a piece of cake. Regarding eunuch Gao Cai, he had already hurriedly dispatched his con- fidant Zhou Zhifan 周之范 to the sea to set up an alliance, requesting thirty-thousand taels (of silver) for the “long life” of the dignitary [Gao Cai] and his full support. When the alliance was being negotiated, Regional Commander of the Southern Cir- cuit Shi Dezheng 施德政 dispatched Commander Shen Yourong 沈有容 to deliver the order (to the Dutch to leave) with armed forces. Commander Shen was a man of many talents and great acumen, whose brush was as sharp as his tongue. He calmly spoke to the foreigners: “China never allows strangers from remote places, and there is simply no other way. Now, you foolishly wish to stay, how stupid! The four seas are big. Where can you not find a place to live?” As soon as he found out that the eunuch’s envoy was present, he added: “Our magnificent China, how can it be short of a few ten thousand taels? [To the Dutch again] You are fooled by a bunch of rats. If trade cannot succeed and the money is not returned, then it is already too late to feel sorry!” Confronted with Shen Yourong’s grand demeanor and fierce words, Van Warwijck sighed: “Such words I have never heard!” His companions, who were standing to his side, drew their swords and said: “The Chinese ships have arrived, if you want to have us kill each other, well, let us kill each other, how about it?” Shen Yourong told them in a stern voice: “China is most accustomed to killing bandits. You lot said you were merchants, and that is why you were tolerated; so why do you speak of making war? That is the opposite of your original words. Have you not seen the mighty forces from the Celestial Empire?” The foreigners were lost for words. Feeling regret and fear in their hearts for having giving the money to Zhou Zhifan, they immediately called Zhou Zhifan and demanded to have their salaries returned. In the end, they only sent the eunuch a woolen carpet, glassware, foreign swords, foreign wine, and a letter of the foreigners requesting trade to be presented to the emperor on their behalf. However, the censor-in-chief memorialized [to the emperor] for the suppression [of the Dutch], and Shi Dezheng had to stand firm and defend the Chinese territory [of the Penghu Islands]. He ordered the troops to sharpen their weapons, clean their armor, and wait for his order to move out. Soldiers or civilians approaching them [the Dutch for trading] from sea, were not to allowed to carry a single coin of money on their bodies.

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