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The Historical Value of the Work Lingwai Daida by Zhou Qufei A10 孔子新汉学计划 Confucius China Studies Program. This book has been published with the aid of a grant from the Confucius Institute Headquarters. Victoria Almonte The historical value of the Work Lingwai Daida by Zhou Qufei Preface by Paolo De Troia Aracne editrice www.aracneeditrice.it [email protected] Copyright © MMXX Gioacchino Onorati editore S.r.l. — unipersonale www.gioacchinoonoratieditore.it [email protected] via Vittorio Veneto, 20 00020 Canterano (RM) (06) 45551463 isbn 978–88–255–2894–7 No part of this book may be reproduced by print, photoprint, microfilm, microfiche, or any other means, without publisher’s authorization. 1st edition: January To Emma and Riccardo We are all infants born on a boat in the ocean. We don’t know where we came from, nor where we are going. Bing Xin, 1923, Poem 99 Contents 11 Notes on translation 13 Preface by Paolo De Troia 15 Introduction 27 Chapter I Zhou Qufei and his work Lingwai Daida 1.1. On Zhou Qufei’s life – 1.2. The Lingwai Daida – 1.2.1. The LWDD’s origin and sources – 1.2.2. Editorial history and diffusion – 1.2.3. The LWDD’s structure – 1.3. The LWDD and Fan Chengda’s Guihai Yuheng zhi – 1.4. The LWDD and Zhao Rukuo’s Zhufanzhi 103 Chapter II The Lingwai Daida and its geographical chapters 2.1. The twenty-four geographical sections and their features – 2.1.1. Section 29. Annanguo. The Country of Annan – 2.1.2. Section 30. Haiwai Liman. The overseas barbarian tribes called Li – 2.1.3. Section 31. Haiwai Zhufanguo. The overseas var- ious foreign countries – 2.1.4. Section 32. Zhanchengguo. The country of Zhan- cheng. Champa, Central Vietnam – 2.1.5. Section 33. Zhenlaguo. The country of Zhenla. Southern Cambodia – 2.1.6. Section 34. Puganguo. The country of Pugan. Burma – 2.1.7. Section 35. Sanfoqiguo. The country of Sanfoqi. Southwest Sumatra – 2.1.8. Section 36. Shepoguo. The country of Shepo. Java – 2.1.9. Section 37. Gu- linguo. The country of Gulin. Kulam, Southern India – 2.1.10. Section 38. Zhu- nianguo. The country of Zhunian. Southern India – 2.1.11. Section 39. Daqinguo. The country of Daqin. The Eastern Ro-man or Byzantine Empire – 2.1.12. Section 40. Dashi zhuguo. Arabic-Islamic Empire – 2.1.13. Section 41. Mulanpiguo. The country of Mulanpi – 2.1.14. Section 42. Xitian zhuguo. Pakistan and various coun- tries of northwest India – 2.1.15. Section 43. Xitian Nannihualuoguo. Huchala terri- tory on the Indian peninsula Guzerat – 2.1.16. Section 44. Dongnan Haishang Zhu- zaguo. Various countries on the Southeastern sea – 2.1.17. Section 45. Kunlun 9 10 Contents Cengqiguo. The country of Kunlun Cengqi. Madagascar, Zanzibar and eastern coast of Africa – 2.1.18. Section 46. Bosiguo. The country of Bosi. Pasai or Bassei – 2.1.19. Section 47. Dan Man. The barbaric tribe of the Dan – 2.1.20. Section 48. Sanfutuo. Sanfutuo territory in Vietnam – 2.1.21. Section 49. Yaoren. The barbaric tribe of the Yao – 2.1.22. Section 50. Xinanyi. The barbaric tribe of the south- western territories (in Guizhou), called Yi – 2.1.23. Section 51. Tongdao Waiyi. The land route for the foreign barbarian countries – 2.1.24. Section 52. Hanghai Waiyi. The maritime navigation of the foreign barbarian countries 187 List of tables and figures 189 Bibliography 211 Index 215 Appendix: Chinese text 10 Contents Cengqiguo. The country of Kunlun Cengqi. Madagascar, Zanzibar and eastern coast of Africa – 2.1.18. Section 46. Bosiguo. The country of Bosi. Pasai or Bassei – 2.1.19. Section 47. Dan Man. The barbaric tribe of the Dan – 2.1.20. Section 48. Sanfutuo. Sanfutuo territory in Vietnam – 2.1.21. Section 49. Yaoren. The barbaric tribe of the Yao – 2.1.22. Section 50. Xinanyi. The barbaric tribe of the south- Notes on translation western territories (in Guizhou), called Yi – 2.1.23. Section 51. Tongdao Waiyi. The land route for the foreign barbarian countries – 2.1.24. Section 52. Hanghai Waiyi. The maritime navigation of the foreign barbarian countries 187 List of tables and figures 189 Bibliography This book follows the pinyin system to transliterate Chinese names and terms, and the system of the Library of Congress to transliterate 211 Index Arabic names and terms. Common words and place names, such as Abbasid, Baghdad and Guilin, are written in the generally accepted 215 Appendix: Chinese text English form without diacritics and not in italics. The book uses Chi- nese traditional characters. For the original Chinese text (in the appendix of this book), the au- thor refers to the version of the Qinding Siku Quanshu 欽定四庫全書 (Complete Works of the Imperial Library), Dili lei 地理類 (Category Geography). 11 Preface by Paolo De Troia1 This work addresses a topic that has long needed to be addressed in depth. It regards a fragment of the history of cultural relations between the Chinese and the Arab Islamic worlds, a history that for objective reasons few in the past have been willing or able to undertake. Notes from the Land Beyond the Passes by Zhou Qufei is a difficult and precious text. It is difficult because of its length and because it is written in not easy to understand literary Chinese, and contains nu- merous place and person names, whose identifies are often difficult to trace and to translate into English. And it is precious because, like a snapshot of a precise moment in time, it is a written trace of that com- plexity and cultural richness which was the 12th century China in which Zhou Qufei lived. It is a compendium of stories whose genesis has now been lost, and hands down narratives and names belonging to different cultures. Victoria Almonte has patiently translated and analyzed the Chinese text with scientific rigor, and in this volume offers some extracts. In this monograph, Almonte presents for the first time in English the annotated translation of the geographical sections of the Lingwai daida, preceded by a comprehensive discussion of some important problems relating to this treatise and its author: the life of Zhou Qufei, useful for tracing the history of the text; the structure and the sources of the work, its editorial history and diffusion; and the relationship of this work with two of the most important geographical works of the Chinese past, the Guihai yuheng zhi (Treatises of the supervisor and guardian of the Cinnamon Sea) and the Zhufan zhi (Description of the Foreign Lands). Notes from the Land Beyond the Passes records a fragment of the history of relations between China and the outside world and the par- 1 Paolo De Troia is Associate Professor of Chinese Language and Literature at the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy of Sapienza University of Rome. 13 14 Preface ticular way in which that history was told. Song China traded with many countries and cultivated frequent and innumerable contacts with other non-Chinese territories, with some countries of Asia and with the West. Zhou Qufei, born in Zhejiang but an imperial official in Guangxi, was intrigued by the stories of merchants, foreign travelers and their interpreters, and began to collect them. He wrote about animals (real or fantastic), plants, customs and traditions, the administrative organi- zations of distant countries (barbaric and exotic populations), the wars and battles to defend and conquer territories, and the embassies and court ceremonies on the occasion of official visits. Most of those sto- ries reached Song China by way of caravans or ships laden with exotic cargoes, heading to the markets of Hangzhou and the wealthy Chinese coastal cities. This book one provides a glimpse of the world as it was known by the Chinese people a millennium ago, and how this image was influ- enced (in some cases) by Arab culture. Although this book, due to the breadth of its subject matter, does not give an exhaustive treatment of the history of relations between China and the Arabic-speaking countries, it nevertheless provides an essential piece of the historical mosaic of China’s contacts with the outside world, and as such is a worthy scholarly endeavor. 14 Preface ticular way in which that history was told. Song China traded with many countries and cultivated frequent and innumerable contacts with other non-Chinese territories, with some countries of Asia and with Introduction the West. Zhou Qufei, born in Zhejiang but an imperial official in Guangxi, was intrigued by the stories of merchants, foreign travelers and their interpreters, and began to collect them. He wrote about animals (real or fantastic), plants, customs and traditions, the administrative organi- From the eighth to the thirteenth century, Asia witnessed an important zations of distant countries (barbaric and exotic populations), the wars metamorphosis: two of the most influential civilizations, the Arab and and battles to defend and conquer territories, and the embassies and the Chinese, located at the two opposite ends of the ecumene, devel- court ceremonies on the occasion of official visits. Most of those sto- oped a new geographical concept, expanding their geographical ries reached Song China by way of caravans or ships laden with exotic knowledge and, above all, transforming into terra cognita what was cargoes, heading to the markets of Hangzhou and the wealthy Chinese previously considered terra incognita. coastal cities. The year 1492, which in a Eurocentric approach is usually recog- This book one provides a glimpse of the world as it was known by nized as the first significant moment in the history of interaction be- the Chinese people a millennium ago, and how this image was influ- tween two such culturally and geographically different civilizations, enced (in some cases) by Arab culture.
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