On The Ethnographic Accounts Of The Whole Non-chinese World In The Ming Dynasty

Yiyu Quanzhi,literatures describing foreign areas in terms of countries or nationalities,is basic document reflecting ancient inland China’s understanding of the non-Chinese world,which has a high historical research value.This paper conducts a basic philological study on the six editions of the four existing Yiyu Quanzhi of Ming Dynasty:Yiyu Zhi,Luochong Lu,Yiyu Tuzhi and Huangming Haiwai Zhuyi Zhi,and finds that they are all homologous,related but different from each other.Extant Yiyu Quanzhis of Ming Dynasty originated from Zhou Zhizhong’s Luochong Lu at the end of the Yuan Dynasty,and originated directly from Zhu Quan’s Yiyu Zhi which adapted from Luochong Lu at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.The paper is mainly divided into five chapters,in addition to the introduction,conclusion,and four appendices and references.Chapters I to IV discuss the relationship among the 4 books,including Yiyu Zhi,Luochong Lu,Yiyu TuZhi and Huangming Haiwai Zhuyi Zhi.Chapter V discusses the relationship between the Yiyu Quanzhis in the Ming Dynasty.For Chapter I,it’s "New Comments on Yiyu Zhi".Two extant editions are both texts.One is manuscripture in one volume from the series Yihai Huihan of the 2nd year of Zhengde(1507)of the Ming Dynasty,and the other is block-printed edition in two volumes from the series Yimen Guangdu of the 25th year of Wanli(1597)of the Ming Dynasty.The contents of the two copies are almost the same.In Yimen GuangDu this book was entitled by Zhou Zhizhong of the Yuan Dynasty,it’s a mistake.It originated from Zhu Quan’s Yiyu Zhi,but it is far different from the original appearance,with a lot of text changes and all the images of the original book omitted.The preface by Jingming Zi preserved in Yihai Huihan can fully illustrate several basic historical facts,that Zhou Zhizhong’s book Luochong Lu presented to Hu Weiyong in the 27th year of Zhizheng(1367)of the Yuan Dynasty,Hu Weiyong and Kaiji prefaced and postscripted for Luochong Lu in the Hongwu ears,and Luochong Lu was adapted into Yiyu Zhi by Zhu Quan at the time between the Hongwu and Jianwen ears.This preface is a very critical historical material.Various documents of the Ming and Qing Dynasties recorded and quoted Yiyu Zhi,which showed that Yiyu Zhi was very popular.While some of the contents are similar to those in the present editions of Yiyu Zhi,some of them can not be found,which indicates the existence of another edition of Yiyu Zhi,and even can be inferred as a kind of Yiyu Zhi with illustrations.For Chapter II,it’s "On the Two editions of Luochong Lu in the Ming Dynasty".The extant edition of Luochong Lu by Jingde Bookstore in the 29th year of Jiajing(1550)of the Ming Dynasty,which includes two volumes and named Xinbian Jingben Luochong Lu,and four volumes from Gezhi Congshu in the 21st year of Wanli(1593)of Ming Dynasty,with the name Xinke Luochong Lu,both of which are pictorial texts and have similar characters and images.In the Ming and Qing Dynasties,this book was seldom recorded or recommended.It’s noteworthy that it was cited many times in the Joseon literatures,and this fact shows the possibility of the existence of Luoch.ong Lu with more abundant contents.In the late Ming Dynasty,Waiyimen of some daily-used books of stated sources of Jingben Luochong Lu or Beijing Jiaozheng Luochong Lu,which should be related to the extant Xinbian Jingben Luochong Lu.It seems that the extant Xinke Luochong Lu may come from Zhuyimen of some daily-used books,but this book has a direct impact on the Renwu part of the well-known book Sancai Tuhui in the late Ming Dynasty.The large publication of Jingben Luochong Lu and the daily-used books including the part of Zhuyimen shows that the book Luochong Lu was more popular than Yiyu Zhi in the late Ming Dynasty.For chapter III,it’s "New Research on Yiyu TuZhi".Yiyu TuZhi has one volume,composed with illustration and text.It’s an edition of the Ming Dynasty,but undated and difficult to judge.Compared with other Yiyu Quanzhi,this book has 13 more foreign countries from Wenxian Tongkao originally recorded in ancient Chinese literature of the the middle ancient ages.It also has the extra appendix Yiyu Qinshou Tu,which is related to the import of exotic animals since Zheng He’s voyage in the early Ming Dynasty,and this reflects the new knowledge of the time and meanwhile the traditional Chinese knowledge of the auspicious animals.In Yiyu TuZhi,there’s not only a lot of content added,but also obvious mistakes in words and defects in illustrations existed clearly.Therefore,the publication time of this book can be inferred to be the late Ming Dynasty.For chapter IV,it’s "A Preliminary Study of Huangming Haiwai Zhuyi Zhi".Huangming Haiwai Zhuyi Zhi is a text edition,and extant edition is the copy from the series Yihai Huihan of 2nd year of Zhengde(1507)of the Ming Dynasty.This is an Yiyu Quanzhi that has not been paid attention to by acholars.The edition of this book is quite different from other Yiyu Quanzhi.It is basically arranged according to the number of each entry’s words from more to less,apparently based on some kind of book.Huangming Haiwai Zhuyi Zhi in the Yihai Huihan was an earlier transcription,and its text is very close to Yiyu TuZhi,which helps to prove that Yiyu TuZhi have an earlier origion.During the the late Ming and early Qing period,the Joseon document Fanhai Lu quoted Waiyi Zhi,which can completely correspond to Huangming Haiwai Zhuyi Zhi,indicating that the book had also been spread.For chapter V,it’s"An Analysis of the Relations among Various Yiyu Quanzhi of the Ming Dynasty".Extant books,such as Yiyu Zhi,Luochong Lu,Yiyu TuZhi,and Huangming Haiwai Zhuyi Zhi,originated directly from Zhu Quan’s Yiyu Zhi during the Hongwu and Jianwen ears of the the Ming Dynasty.According to their different contents,they can be divided into two groups,the"Yiyu Zhi" group and the"Luochong Lu"group.The"Yiyu Zhi"group only includes Yiyu Zhi,the"Luochong Lu"group includes Luochong Lu,Yiyu TuZhi,and uangming Haiwai Zhuyi Zhi,which preserves the original appearance of Zhu Quan’s Yiyu Zhi better.There are distinct traces of the the Yuan Dynasty in the"Luochong Lu"group,such as the use of Quanzhou Road and Hening Road,typical place names of the the Yuan Dynasty;obvious mistakes caused by improper handling of documents in the compilation process,such as the appearance of Bakhana in Maqi Guo’s entry;and a large number of items inherited from Shilin Guangji,such as Zhenla Guo’s entry,etc.It means this book can be traced back to Zhou Zhizhong’s Luochong Lu of the late Yuan Dynasty and these are not found in the"Yiyu Zhi" group.Extant Yiyu Quanzhi also retain a large number of"Hongwu traces",such as the Ryukyu Prince entering Ming Dynasty and studying in the imperial school in the 29th year of Hongwu,the quoting of the Chinese translation of Yuanchao Mishi in the Hongwu ears,the imperial court of Ming Dynasty placed the descendants of the Prince Liang of the Yuan Dynasty to Chejudo in the 25th year of Hongwu,and the name of Siam appeared after Hongwu ears.All these shows that extant Yiyu Quanzhi can be traced back to Zhu Quan’s Yiyu Zhi between the Hongwu and Jianwen ears.However,such traces aquite different from those in "Yiyu Zhi" group.In addition,the Ying Tianfu traces commonly seen in the"Luochong Lu"group are totally absent in the "Yiyu Zhi" group,which should be deleted consciously after moving Ming’s capital to Shun Tianfu(Beijing)after the 19th year of Yongle(1421).All the above three aspects can explain that the"Yiyu Zhi" Group has undergone considerable changes,which is quite different from Zhu Quan’s Yiyu Zhi between the Hongwu and Jianwen ears.The basic composition of Zhu Quan’s Yiyu Zhi is about one hundred and fifty-eight countries,which existed in all kinds of extant Yiyu Quanzhi.As for the appearance of Zhou Zhizhong’s Luochong Lu,it may be known by deleting"Hongwu Traces"from Zhu Quan’s Yiyu Zhi.