World Affairs Board - View Single Post - Chinese Accounts of Rome, Byzantium and the Middle East

**Ironduke** · 05-03-2004, 21:57 PM

From the Wei-Shu, ch. 102 (written before 572 C.E.), for 386-556 C.E.:

The country of Ta-ts'in [Roman Syria] is also called Li-kan [Syria]. Its capital is the city of An-tu [Antioch]. From T'iao-chih [Babylonia] west you go by sea, making a bent, ten thousand li. From Tai [Ta-t'ung fu?] it is distant 39,400 li. By the side of its sea one comes out at what is like an arm of the sea [the Gulfs of Aqaba and Suez], and that the east and the west of the country look into that arm of the sea is a natural arrangement. Its territory amounts to six thousand li. It lies between two seas. This country is peacefully governed, and human dwellings are scattered over it like stars. The royal capital [Antioch] is divided into five cities, each five li square; its circuit is 60 li. The king resides in the middle city. In the city there are established eight high officials to rule over the four quarters of the country; but in the royal city there are also established eight high officials who divide among themselves the government over the four cities. When government matters are deliberated upon, and if in the four quarters of the country there are cases not decided, the high officials of the four cities hold a council at the king's place. After the king has sanctioned their decision it is put into force. Once in three years the king goes out to convince himself of the morality of the people. If anyone has suffered an injustice he states his complaint to the king who, in minor cases, will censure, but in important cases, will dismiss the country official responsible for it, appointing a worthier man in his stead. The inhabitants are upright and tall; their mode of dressing, their carriages and flags, resemble those of the Han [Chinese], whence other foreign nations call them Ta-ts'in. The country produces all kinds of grain, the mulberry tree and hemp. The inhabitants busy themselves with silk-worms and fields. There is abundance of ch'iu-lin [a kind of jadestone]; lang-kan [a kind of coral]; shen-kuei [a kind of tortoise or its shell]; white horses; chu-lieh [lit. "red bristles"--a gem]; ming-chu [shining pearls]; yeh-kuang-pi [the jewel that shines at night].

South-east you go to Chiao-chih [Cochin China]. There is also connection by water with the principalities of Yi-chou [Yunnan] and Yung-ch'ang [near Bhamo]. Many rare objects come from this country. In the west of the water of the sea west of Ta-ts'in there is a river; the river flows southwest [Orontes]; west of the river there are the Nan-pei-shan [the Lebanon]; west of the hills there is the Red Water [Red Sea/Gulf of Aqaba]; west of this is the Pai-yu-shan [Mt. Sinai]; west of the Jade Hill is the Hsi-wang-mu-shan [Hill of the Western King's Mother], where a temple is made of jadestone [the Pyramids]. It is said that from the western boundary of Ar-hsi [Arsacids, or Parthia], following the crooked shape of the seacoast, you can also go to Ta-ts'in, over 40,000 li. Although in that country sun and moon, and the constellations, are quite the same as in Zhongguo, former historians say that going a hundred li west of T'iao-chih [Babylonia] you come to the place where the sun sets; this is far from being true.

From the Chiu-t'ang-shu, ch. 198 (written mid-10th Century C.E.), for 618-906 C.E.:

The country of Fu-lin [Byzantium], also called Ta-ts'in [Roman Syria], lies above the western sea [Indian Ocean]. In the southeast it borders on Po-si [Persia]. Its territory amounts to over 10,000 li. Of cities there are four hundred. Inhabited places are close together. The eaves, pillars, and window-bars of their palaces are frequently made with crystal and opaque glass. There are twelve honorable ministers who conjointly regulate government matters. They ordinarily let a man take a bag and follow the king's carriage. When the people have a complaint they throw a written statement into the bag. When the king comes back to the palace he decides between right and wrong. Their kings are not permanent rulers, but they select men of merit. If an extraordinary calamity visits the country, or if wind and rain come at the wrong time, he is deposed and another man is put in his stead. The king's cap is shaped like a bird raising its wings; its trimmings are beset with precious pearls; he wears silk-embroidered clothing, without a lapel in front. He sits on a throne with golden ornaments. He has a bird like a goose; its feathers are green, and it always sits on a cushion by the side of the king. Whenever anything poisonous has been put into the king's meals, the bird will crow. The walls of their capital are built of granite, and are of enormous height [the Theodosian triple walls]. The city[Constantinople] contains in all over 100,000 households [some 500,000 to 600,000 inhabitants]. In the south it faces the great sea. In the east of the city there is a large gate; its height is over twenty chang [over 235 feet]; it is beset with yellow gold [bronze] from top to bottom, and shines at a distance of several li. Coming from outside to the royal residence there are three large gates beset with all kinds of rare and precious stones. On the upper floor of the second gate they have suspended a large golden scale, twelve golden balls are suspended from the scale-stick by which the twelve hours of the day are shown. A human figure has been made all of gold of the size of a man standing upright, on whose side, whenever an hour has come, one of the golden balls will drop, the dingling sound of which makes known the divisions of the day without the slightest mistake [a clepsydra]. In the palaces, pillars are made of se-se [lapis lazuli], the floors of yellow gold [probably bronze], the leaves of folding doors of ivory, beams of fragrant wood. They have no tiles, but powdered plaster is rammed down into a floor above the house. This floor is perfectly firm and of glossy appearance like jade-stone. When, during the height of summer, the inhabitants are oppressed by heat, they lead water up and make it flow over the platform, spreading it all over the roof by a secret contrivance so that one sees and knows not how it is done, but simply hears the noise of a well on the roof; suddenly you see streams of water rushing down from the four eaves like a cataract; the draught caused thereby produces a cooling wind, which is due to this skilful contrivance [a common device in the Near East].

It is customary for men to have their hair cut and wear robes leaving the right arm bare. Women have no lapels on their dresses, they wear turbans of embroidered cloth. The possession of a great fortune confers superior rank on its owner. There are lambs which grow in the ground; the inhabitants wait till they are about to sprout, and then screen them off by building walls to prevent the beasts which are at large outside from eating them up. The navel of these lambs is connected with the ground; when it is forcibly cut the animal will die, but after the people have fixed the buds themselves' they frighten them by the steps of horses or the beating of drums, when the lambs will yield a sound of alarm, and the navel will be detached, and then the animal may be separated from the water-plant. The inhabitants are in the habit of cutting their hair and wearing embroidered clothing; they drive in small carriages with white canopies; when going in or out they beat drums and hoist flags, banners, and pennants. The country contains much gold, silver, and rare gems. There is the Yeh-kuang-pi [the jewel that shines at night]; the ming-yüeh-chu [the moon-shine pearl]; the hsieh-chi-hsi [the chicken-frightening rhinoceros stone]; large conches; the che-ch'u [mother-of-pearl], carnelian stones; the k'ung-ts'ui [Jadeite]; corals; amber; and all the valuable curiosities of the West are exported from this country.

The emperor Yang-ti of the Sui dynasty [605-617 C.E.] always wished to open intercourse with Fu-lin, but did not succeed. In the 17th year of the period Cheng-kuan [643 C.E.], the king of Fu-lin Po-to-li [Constans II Pogonatus, Emperor 641-668 C.E.] sent an embassy offering red glass, lu-chin-ching [green gold gems], and other articles. T'ai-tsung [the then ruling emperor] favored them with a message under his imperial seal and graciously granted presents of silk. Since the Ta-shih [the Arabs] had conquered these countries they sent their commander-in-chief, Mo-i [Mo'awiya], to besiege their capital city; by means of an agreement they obtained friendly relations, and asked to be allowed to pay every year tribute of gold and silk; in the sequel they became subject to Ta-shih. In the second year of the period Ch'ien-feng [667 C.E.] they sent an embassy offering Ti-yeh-ka. In the first year of the period Ta-tsu [701 C.E.] they again sent an embassy to our court. In the first month of the seventh year of the period K'ai-yuan [719 C.E.] their lord sent the ta-shou-ling [an officer of high rank] of T'u-huo-lo [Khazarstan] to offer lions and ling-yang[antelopes], two of each. A few months after, he further sent ta-te-seng ["priests of great virtue"] to our court with tribute.

05-03-2004, 21:57 PM	#5 (permalink)
Ironduke Burgomaster Join Date: 08-02-03 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 6,784 Country:	From the Wei-Shu, ch. 102 (written before 572 C.E.), for 386-556 C.E.: The country of Ta-ts'in [Roman Syria] is also called Li-kan [Syria]. Its capital is the city of An-tu [Antioch]. From T'iao-chih [Babylonia] west you go by sea, making a bent, ten thousand li. From Tai [Ta-t'ung fu?] it is distant 39,400 li. By the side of its sea one comes out at what is like an arm of the sea [the Gulfs of Aqaba and Suez], and that the east and the west of the country look into that arm of the sea is a natural arrangement. Its territory amounts to six thousand li. It lies between two seas. This country is peacefully governed, and human dwellings are scattered over it like stars. The royal capital [Antioch] is divided into five cities, each five li square; its circuit is 60 li. The king resides in the middle city. In the city there are established eight high officials to rule over the four quarters of the country; but in the royal city there are also established eight high officials who divide among themselves the government over the four cities. When government matters are deliberated upon, and if in the four quarters of the country there are cases not decided, the high officials of the four cities hold a council at the king's place. After the king has sanctioned their decision it is put into force. Once in three years the king goes out to convince himself of the morality of the people. If anyone has suffered an injustice he states his complaint to the king who, in minor cases, will censure, but in important cases, will dismiss the country official responsible for it, appointing a worthier man in his stead. The inhabitants are upright and tall; their mode of dressing, their carriages and flags, resemble those of the Han [Chinese], whence other foreign nations call them Ta-ts'in. The country produces all kinds of grain, the mulberry tree and hemp. The inhabitants busy themselves with silk-worms and fields. There is abundance of ch'iu-lin [a kind of jadestone]; lang-kan [a kind of coral]; shen-kuei [a kind of tortoise or its shell]; white horses; chu-lieh [lit. "red bristles"--a gem]; ming-chu [shining pearls]; yeh-kuang-pi [the jewel that shines at night]. South-east you go to Chiao-chih [Cochin China]. There is also connection by water with the principalities of Yi-chou [Yunnan] and Yung-ch'ang [near Bhamo]. Many rare objects come from this country. In the west of the water of the sea west of Ta-ts'in there is a river; the river flows southwest [Orontes]; west of the river there are the Nan-pei-shan [the Lebanon]; west of the hills there is the Red Water [Red Sea/Gulf of Aqaba]; west of this is the Pai-yu-shan [Mt. Sinai]; west of the Jade Hill is the Hsi-wang-mu-shan [Hill of the Western King's Mother], where a temple is made of jadestone [the Pyramids]. It is said that from the western boundary of Ar-hsi [Arsacids, or Parthia], following the crooked shape of the seacoast, you can also go to Ta-ts'in, over 40,000 li. Although in that country sun and moon, and the constellations, are quite the same as in Zhongguo, former historians say that going a hundred li west of T'iao-chih [Babylonia] you come to the place where the sun sets; this is far from being true. From the Chiu-t'ang-shu, ch. 198 (written mid-10th Century C.E.), for 618-906 C.E.: The country of Fu-lin [Byzantium], also called Ta-ts'in [Roman Syria], lies above the western sea [Indian Ocean]. In the southeast it borders on Po-si [Persia]. Its territory amounts to over 10,000 li. Of cities there are four hundred. Inhabited places are close together. The eaves, pillars, and window-bars of their palaces are frequently made with crystal and opaque glass. There are twelve honorable ministers who conjointly regulate government matters. They ordinarily let a man take a bag and follow the king's carriage. When the people have a complaint they throw a written statement into the bag. When the king comes back to the palace he decides between right and wrong. Their kings are not permanent rulers, but they select men of merit. If an extraordinary calamity visits the country, or if wind and rain come at the wrong time, he is deposed and another man is put in his stead. The king's cap is shaped like a bird raising its wings; its trimmings are beset with precious pearls; he wears silk-embroidered clothing, without a lapel in front. He sits on a throne with golden ornaments. He has a bird like a goose; its feathers are green, and it always sits on a cushion by the side of the king. Whenever anything poisonous has been put into the king's meals, the bird will crow. The walls of their capital are built of granite, and are of enormous height [the Theodosian triple walls]. The city[Constantinople] contains in all over 100,000 households [some 500,000 to 600,000 inhabitants]. In the south it faces the great sea. In the east of the city there is a large gate; its height is over twenty chang [over 235 feet]; it is beset with yellow gold [bronze] from top to bottom, and shines at a distance of several li. Coming from outside to the royal residence there are three large gates beset with all kinds of rare and precious stones. On the upper floor of the second gate they have suspended a large golden scale, twelve golden balls are suspended from the scale-stick by which the twelve hours of the day are shown. A human figure has been made all of gold of the size of a man standing upright, on whose side, whenever an hour has come, one of the golden balls will drop, the dingling sound of which makes known the divisions of the day without the slightest mistake [a clepsydra]. In the palaces, pillars are made of se-se [lapis lazuli], the floors of yellow gold [probably bronze], the leaves of folding doors of ivory, beams of fragrant wood. They have no tiles, but powdered plaster is rammed down into a floor above the house. This floor is perfectly firm and of glossy appearance like jade-stone. When, during the height of summer, the inhabitants are oppressed by heat, they lead water up and make it flow over the platform, spreading it all over the roof by a secret contrivance so that one sees and knows not how it is done, but simply hears the noise of a well on the roof; suddenly you see streams of water rushing down from the four eaves like a cataract; the draught caused thereby produces a cooling wind, which is due to this skilful contrivance [a common device in the Near East]. It is customary for men to have their hair cut and wear robes leaving the right arm bare. Women have no lapels on their dresses, they wear turbans of embroidered cloth. The possession of a great fortune confers superior rank on its owner. There are lambs which grow in the ground; the inhabitants wait till they are about to sprout, and then screen them off by building walls to prevent the beasts which are at large outside from eating them up. The navel of these lambs is connected with the ground; when it is forcibly cut the animal will die, but after the people have fixed the buds themselves' they frighten them by the steps of horses or the beating of drums, when the lambs will yield a sound of alarm, and the navel will be detached, and then the animal may be separated from the water-plant. The inhabitants are in the habit of cutting their hair and wearing embroidered clothing; they drive in small carriages with white canopies; when going in or out they beat drums and hoist flags, banners, and pennants. The country contains much gold, silver, and rare gems. There is the Yeh-kuang-pi [the jewel that shines at night]; the ming-yüeh-chu [the moon-shine pearl]; the hsieh-chi-hsi [the chicken-frightening rhinoceros stone]; large conches; the che-ch'u [mother-of-pearl], carnelian stones; the k'ung-ts'ui [Jadeite]; corals; amber; and all the valuable curiosities of the West are exported from this country. The emperor Yang-ti of the Sui dynasty [605-617 C.E.] always wished to open intercourse with Fu-lin, but did not succeed. In the 17th year of the period Cheng-kuan [643 C.E.], the king of Fu-lin Po-to-li [Constans II Pogonatus, Emperor 641-668 C.E.] sent an embassy offering red glass, lu-chin-ching [green gold gems], and other articles. T'ai-tsung [the then ruling emperor] favored them with a message under his imperial seal and graciously granted presents of silk. Since the Ta-shih [the Arabs] had conquered these countries they sent their commander-in-chief, Mo-i [Mo'awiya], to besiege their capital city; by means of an agreement they obtained friendly relations, and asked to be allowed to pay every year tribute of gold and silk; in the sequel they became subject to Ta-shih. In the second year of the period Ch'ien-feng [667 C.E.] they sent an embassy offering Ti-yeh-ka. In the first year of the period Ta-tsu [701 C.E.] they again sent an embassy to our court. In the first month of the seventh year of the period K'ai-yuan [719 C.E.] their lord sent the ta-shou-ling [an officer of high rank] of T'u-huo-lo [Khazarstan] to offer lions and ling-yang[antelopes], two of each. A few months after, he further sent ta-te-seng ["priests of great virtue"] to our court with tribute.