Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023505666 Cornell University Ubrary DS 721.T32 Western origin of the earl< Cliinese civl i 3 1924 023 505 666 WESTERN ORIGIN OP THE EARLY CHINESE CIVILISATION, other Works of Prof. Dr. Terrien de Lacouperie on Oriental ArchsBology. Eably History of the Chinese Civilisation. A Lecture. London, 1880. The Languages or China before the Chinese (with Researches on the Arrival of the Chinese and the Sources of their Civilisation). 8vo., 148 pp., 1887; French edition, 1888, 210 pp., greatly en- larged. (Laureated by the French Institute. J Formosa Notes, on Mss., Languages, and Eaces, 1887, 82 pp. The Old Babylonian Chaeacteks and their Chinese Derivates, 1888. Catalogue of Chinese Coins from the Vllth cent. B.C. to A.D. 621, including the series in the British Museum, 1892, or. 4to., Ixxi., 443 pp. {Laureated by the French Institute.) The Oldest Book of the Chinese, the Yh King, and its Authors. I. Vol. History and Method, 1892, 8vo„ xxvii , 121 pp. Beginnings of Writing in Central and Eastern Asia. Notes on 450 Emhryo-writings and scripts. 1894, 8vo., 207 pp. Asiatic Studies (8 mem.) 8vo. Babylonian and Chinese Researches (10 mem.) 8vo. Across Ancient Asia (16 mem.) 8vo. 1 And over '20 paperti and iini)inal articles on separate subjects (Sinology, Assyrioloyy, Uhaldeo- Chinese, Ethnology, lAnguistics, and Numis- matics of the East.) In Prepapation. History of the Civilisation of China. 2 Vols. Indo-Chinese Philology, and its place in the Science of Language. WESTERN ORIGIN OF THE Early Chinese Civilisation FROM 2,300 B.C. TO 200 A.D. OR, CHAPTERS ON THE ELEMENTS DERIVED FROM THE OLD CIVILISATIONS OF WEST ASIA IN THE FORMATION OF THE ANCIENT CHINESE CULTURE. BY TERRIEN DE LACOUPERIE London : Covknt Garden, ASHER & Co., 13, Bedford Street, 1894. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Chapters. 11. yi. TABLB OF CONTENTS. §§174 West Influences by the North-east ...155 „ 181 Innovations coneerning Fire ... ... 159, 364 ,,184 Same continued ... ... ...164 ,,187 Other Innovations ... ... ...169 ,, 191 Innovations of Hindu Origin ... ... 171, 865 ,,197 Northern Influence... ... •...176,365 ,, 198 Western Influence by Southern channels ... 178, 366 ,,191 Hormuz Navy in South-east China ... 178 „ 207 The Great Semi-Chinese State of T'su ... 190, 367 „ 212 The Non-Chinese State of Shuh ... 196 Sixth Period, 221 B.C. to 220 A.D. ,,219 The Empire ... ... ...203,367 ,,227 Introduction of Buddhism ... ...210,267 ,, 234 Private Intercourse with the West ... 213, 368 ,,239 Official „ „ „ ...218 ,,246 „ „ „ „ ...229,269 „ 249 „ „ with South-east and South 232, 269 ,, 259 Changes and competition in the Sea-trade ... 239, 370 ,, 269 Official Intercourse with the South-west ... 249, 370 ,, 280 Foreign and Chinese Trading Navies ... 259, 370 VIII. Excursus ... ... ... ... 264 „ 284 The Si Wang Muhs and Muh Wang's Ex- pedition to Turkestan in c. 986 B.C. 264, 370 ,,297 On some old Geographical Knowledge of- the West ... ... ...275,371 ,,299 On the Gnomon and Sundial ... ...277 ,,302 On the Clepsydra ... ... ...279 „ 305 Origin of the South-pointing Chariots and Marine Compass ... ... ...283 ,, 309 Foreign Historical Sources of Ancient Chinese Astronomy ... ... 286 IX. Meeting Objections ... ... ... 291 „ 312 Southern Origin ... ... ... 291 ,,313 Self-growth and Development ... ...291 ,,315 Monosyllabic Theory ... ...293 ,,316 Astrognosie ... ... ...294,371 „ 321 On Bak as a Name of the Earliest Civilised Chinese ... ... ... 302 „ 330 Alleged difficulty of the Journey from West to East Asia ... 308 ,,338 Silence of Western Antiquity ... ...314 X. Essay of Historical and Geogr.^phical Recon- struction FROM Traditions and Legends of the Migrations of the Civilised Bak Sings FROM West Asia to China 2332-2285-2283 b.c. 316 ,,240 Sources of Information ... ...316 „ 343 From their original seat to the Jade Mines... 317, 372 „ 351 From the Jade Mines to South-west Kansuh ... ... ... 325 354 From South-west Kansuh to South Shansi... 328 TABLE OF CONTENTS. XI. Additions and Emendations to the preceding Chapters, §§ 367-379... ... ... 338 XII. Chronological Sketch of the Pre-Chinese AND Imported Civilisations of China in Antiquity... ... ... ...373 I. §§ 880 Native Civilisation of the Pre-Chinese ... 373 II. „ 383 Imported Civilisation by the Chinese Bak Sings ... ... ... 376 Of their own ... ...376 „ 386 Acquired in South-west Asia ...378 III. „ 390 Chronological List of Western Relations with China and their Importations from 2283 B.C. to 220 A.D ... ...381 „ 390 From Hwang-ti to the Hia dynasty, c. 2280-1964 B.C. ... ... 381 „ 391 Prom the Hia to the Shang, c. 1954-1686 B.C. ... ... ... 381 „ 392 During the Shang-Yn dynasty, c. 1686- 1111 B.C. .. ... ...382 „ 893 During the West Tchou dynasty, 1110- 770 B.O ...383 „ 394 During the East Tchou dynasty, 770-481 B.C. ... ... ... 385 „ 395 During the Contending States, 481-221 B.C. ... ... ... 886 ,,396 Chinese Empire, 221 B.C. to 220 A.D. ...889 „ 397 Concluding Remarks ... ... 895 „ 400 Comparative Chronology ... ... 396 Alphabetical Index ... .. ... • 898 List of important Errata INTEODUCTION. The just claims of the civilisation of the Chinese, the largest family of mankind, to a high antiquity uninterrupted to the present day, which makes it the young contemporary of the old civilisations, now dis- appeared, of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Elamites, Assyrians, Egseans, and Paeudo-Hittites, alone invest it with an unusual interest for the student of history, notwithstanding its remoteness from our western activity. While scanty remains and scattered survivals are all that have been preserved of the former glory of all these civilisations, long swept away, the case is altogether different with that of China, which is still alive, with its immense advantage, for general history of an un- interrupted continuity since its beginning. That civilisation has long appeared unaccountable, and its similarities and dissemblances as compared with our own have caused it to be taken as evidence of most conflicting theories otherwise unsupported. But the science of history has now shown, in all known instances, that centres of civilisation never arose elsewhere than amid a conflict of races, when sparks, coming from a more enlightened quarter, have brought in an initiating and leading spirit, under the form of one or several men, or of immigrating tribes, incited by trade, religion, or in search of safety The same science has shown moreover that man has always travelled more extensively than was formerly supposed, that " there is no such thing as the history of one country," and that intelligent nations always borrow fresh elements of civilisation whenever they have the opportu- nity of doing so. And it has come to be the object of the present work to show that China has been no exception to the rules here formulated, X. INTRODUCTION but is on the contrary an important instance of the general fact gradually disclosed by the process of historical research, that in all in- .vestigated cases, culture is the result of an introduction from abroad, and not of a spontaneous development. It was the trade by which were imported into Chaldea lapis-lazuli, rubies, turquoises, silver, tin, asbestos, and nephrite jade, dark and white, from Khorasan, Badakshan, and Eastern Turkestan, which led western civilisation to China after 2,300 B.C. And it is also trade, alone at first, with religion afterwards, which has caused com- munications, although irregular and occasional, to take place uninter- ruptedly between the West and East of Asia, as shmvn for the first time in the present work, since 2,300 B.C. by land, and after 70Q B.C. also by sea. Thus it has happened that notwithstanding its geographi- cal distance, which always required time to traverse, China has never remained without knowledge of the progress of Western civilisation, and of this knowledge has taken advantage. Intelligent, but lacking originality and creative power, deeply imbued with reverence for the ancients, and specially for those who had introduced civilisation in their land, blindly conservative and re- specting precedents and routine, somnolent still in their worship of olden times, the Chinese in their living past, have preserved to this day in their literature and civilisation many remains land survivals from the ancient civilisations with which they happened to have had some relations. Of course no absolute proof of this fact would rest on single traits of agreement; but it is the mass of the coincidences and similarities, their appearance by groups, and the homogeneity of these groups, the historical and material circumstances agreeing, that enforce conviction due allowance being made for the idiosyncrasy and adaptive process of the borrowers. In all the cases where verification is possible we have found that innovations and changes in Western Asia have made their mark in China some time afterwards. The reverse circum- stance did not happen, and the influence of one side on the other re- mained unreciprocated, because China in antiquity had very little to give to West Asia, with the exception of her silk, long undesired because of the Indian article, and of some of her fruits which were duly carried by the ancient trade to Persia. Staple goods were not worth the diffi- culties of the journeys, and for many ages trade made by pedlars could consist but of rarities and curios. •introduction xi. Let us remark here that the Chinese authorities themselves claimed an origin from the north-west for a large part of their civilisation,, and did not hesitate in olden times to recognise an exotic source where such was the ease ; and that it is only the modern native writers, authors of large compilations and mirrors of history, more patriotic than trustworthy, the only ones with whose works convenience made the ancient sinologists acquainted, who have systematically attributed every progress and innovation to their sages of antiquity, without having regard to statements to the contrary.