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The Introduction of Grapes and Alfalfa Into China: a Re‰Ection on the Role of Zhang Qian

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The Introduction of Grapes and Alfalfa Into China: a Re‰Ection on the Role of Zhang Qian hon p.1 [100%] YAKUGAKU ZASSHI 125(11) 895―898 (2005) 2005 The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan 895 ―Notes― The Introduction of Grapes and Alfalfa into China: A Re‰ection on the Role of Zhang Qian Masao UCHIBAYASHI Takeda Science Foundation, Juso-honmachi, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka 5328686, Japan (Received June 23, 2005; Accepted August 24, 2005) There is a prevailing legend that grapes and alfalfa were introduced to China from West Asia by Zhang Qian in 126 BC. This paper intends to show the legend to be a misconception. The three crucial documents were thoroughly ex- amined, and the author believes he can demonstrate that it was a later traveler who actually brought these two plants to China following the trade route pioneered by Zhang Qian. Key words―grapes; alfalfa; Zhang Qian; China voy imported the seeds (of the grapevine and alfalfa) THE LEGEND on his way back (to China). The emperor thereupon Grapes and alfalfa (or lucerne) were introduced to caused alfalfa and grapevine to be planted on rich ChinafromWestAsiabyZhangQianin126BC.This tracts of ground. has been the generally accepted view. A Sino-Iranologist, Bernhold Laufer,7) in 1919 In 1915, Professor Jitsuzo Kuwahara at Kyoto translated the same chapter of Shi ji as follows: denounced the view as an untenable misconception,1) They (thepeopleofDayuan) were fond of drink- but his contention remained within a limited academ- ing wine in the same manner as their horses relished ic circle. It was the traditional view that survived alfalfa. The Chinese envoystook the seeds of both without debate or reconsideration. plants along to their country, and the Son of Heaven This paper will elaborate on Prof. Kuwahara's was the ˆrst to plant alfalfa and the vine in fertile soil report and aims to set the historical record straight, (Note the plural form). that is, to make clear that it was not Zhang Qian, but The present author's literal translation of the cru- someone else, who introduced grapes and alfalfa to cial part is that Han shi (Han's envoy) came back (to China (Zhang Qian is abbreviated as ZQ hereafter). China) after collecting the seeds (of grapes and alfal- fa). For the sake of conˆrmation, the passage in THE HISTORY question is shown in Chinese: 漢使取其實来（史 For discussion, three historical documents merit 記・大宛列傅）． particular attention: (2) Han shu,initsXiYuBiography,recordsin 1. Shi ji（史記)2) or the earliest Record of the thesamewaythatHanshicameback(to China) af- History of Ancient China compiled by Si Maqian in tergatheringtheseedsofgrapesandalfalfa.Forcon- 91 BC ˆrmation again, the passage in Chinese is: 漢使采蒲 2. Han shu（漢書)3) or the Annals of the Han 陶目宿種歸（漢書・西域傳）． Dynasty written by Ban Gu around AD 78 As shown above and as Prof. Kuwahara pointed out 3. Bowu zhi（博物志)4) or the Record of the earlier, both Shi ji and Han shu say that it was Han Natural History by Zhang Hua about AD 300. shi (Han's envoy) who introduced grapes and alfalfa (1) Shi ji, in the chapter of the Da Yuan into China, and neither names ZQ. Biography, contains this description, translated into (3) Bowu zhi, the third document, is cited to English by F. Hirth in 1917 and quoted by J. have contained such passages as these： Needham6) in 1986: ZQ was on a mission to Xi yu (the Western The people (of Da yuan) liked to drink wine, and Region) and returned home after obtaining the their horses liked to eat alfalfa grass. The Chinese en- seeds (of grape) for the ˆrst time. ZQ was on a mission to Xi yu and returned home Present address: 2101, Obe, Kawanishi 6660014, Japan after obtaining grape (vine). hon p.2 [100%] 896 Vol. 125 (2005) ZQ was on a mission to Xi yu and returnd home HAN SHI IN SHI JI after obtaining grape, shallot and alfalfa. The emperor Wu of Han sent ZQ as his envoy to Now the author intends to clarify that Han shi was Da yuan, and obtained grape seeds. never meant to be an indirect reference to ZQ; it was An alfalfa garden of ZQ is situated now in the so written by Zhang Hua of Bowu zhi as a result of capital town (Luo yang). Alfalfa was originally his misinterpretation of the term. a vegetable grown in West Asia and ZQ was the A close examination was made of the use of the ˆrst to have it in the Western Countries. name of the envoy himself as well as the term Han shi These passages have been quoted repeatedly in later in the entire text of the Da Yuan Biography in Shi ji, documents5) such as Shuyi ji (ca.500), Zhaimin keeping in mind that the story is written in more-or- yaoshu (ca.535), Taiping yulan (984), Tujing bencao less chronological order. To indicate the actual man, (1062), Daguan bencao (1108), and Bencao gangmu the name ZQ occurs ˆve times and is shortened to (1578) all of which contributed to the prevailing Qian 35 times. The individual's name never appears legend in the Tang and Song era that ZQ had brought in the story that covers the period after ZQ's death. grapes and alfalfa to China. The term Han shi is used 28 times, 25 of them in the Bowu zhi itself is known to have undergone trans- section that follows ZQ's death. forming alterations in which the original version con- So, let us look at these three mentions of Han shi sisting of 400 volumes, was contracted to ten by the before ZQ's death. emperor Wu of Jin by deleting supposedly unreliable Qian told the chief of the Da yuan tribe of his in- or unrealistic stories. At a later time, Bowu zhi was tention to visit Yue zhi in the capacity of Han totally lost and then reconstructed by several authors, shi. who collected then-available quotations found in the The Kun ming tribe, violent plunderers with no various documents. Today, the several editions made leader, killed Han shi (an emissary sent by at diŠerent times in Song and Ming are known to ex- Qian). ist. ThechiefoftheWusuntribefailedtooŠera The present author's careful perusal of the existing respectful reception to Han shi, not following editions of Bowi zhi, nine of which are available to their customary dutiful protocol, and Qian was him, discloses no clear description of ZQ's introduc- much chagrined. tion of the two plants to China. Other researchers In these three quotations, the relationship of Han shi agree with the author that it is indeed nonexistent. with ZQ is clearly seen. There are only two references to ZQ in the existing There is only one exceptional occurrence, out of the editions of Bowu zhi: 25 instances, in which Han shi is said explicitly to be Han shi ZQ went over to the Western Sea Region ZQ, and it must be discussed here. to reach the Roman Empire. Well after ZQ's death in the text chronologically, ZQ was on a mission to Xi yu and returned home there are descriptions like this: Han shi reached the after obtaining walnut seeds. riverhead (of the Yellow River) which originated As can be clearly seen, the term Han shi (Chinese from Yu tian, and the mountain yields many jade envoy) in Shi ji and in Han shu was rewritten as ZQ stones, which were collected (by Han shi) to bring by Zhang Hua in Bowu zhi. From the context, the back (to China). Several paragraphs later, the present author is unable to comprehend why Zhang description in question occurs: Han shi came back af- Hua wrote Han shi as ZQ. Was this interpretation ter picking the seeds. current during his time, or did he base it on some un- In the addendum placed at the end of the disclosed source of information? The present author Biography text, Taishi gong (another name of Shi would point out that this rewriting of the term Han ji''s author) states that ZQ went on a mission to Da shi as ZQ is most likely the source of today's con- xia (Tokhari) and reached the riverhead (of the Yel- tinuing misconception about the origin of grapes and low River) for the ˆrst time. This statement can be alfalfa in China. read as equating the Han shi described in the main text as ZQ himself. But let us examine the validity of Taishi gong's in- hon p.3 [100%] No. 11 897 terpretation, in this sole instance, of Han shi as ZQ. more likely, implicitly to ZQ himself. The author, To restate the quotation, Han shi reached the however, has already deduced that the envoy in ques- riverhead, which originated from Yu tian. On his way tion was not ZQ. back to China, ZQ is believed to have taken the so- THE INFLUENCE OF ADMIRATION IN calledSouthernRoute,whichindeedpassesYutian, HISTORIC INTERPRETATION located at the southernmost edge of the Taklimakan Desert in the Xinjian Uygur Province. In the It may be, however, that later historians were neighborhood of this oasis, the river Keriya he ‰ows moved by admiration to attribute the signiˆcant in- north. This river, however, has nothing whatever to troduction of these plants to so remarkable a per- do with the head of the Yellow River, identiˆed today sonality as ZQ, who had come to be called the as being in the distant Qinghai Province. Chinese (or Oriental) Columbus. Certainly ZQ ZQ was never known to have undertaken an expe- would have been well aware of his emperor's ardent dition into deep mountain areas to ˆnd the riverhead, desire to augment his stables with the ``heavenly'' nor to have brought jade stones back home.
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