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Kurz: Boni in Chinese Sources NSC Working Paper No. 4history of the Song Songshi 宋史 . Note also, that the first mission is dated 978, which puts ita year later than the other sources. This may result from a copying error which occur quitefrequently in the case of Chinese block‐printed books, as er 二 (two or second) can rathereasily turn into san 三 (three or third). The entry in Yuhai reads as follows:Boni 勃泥 brings tribute during the Taiping xingguo era.Boni is situated in the middle of the southwestern seas and in previous times it hadnever brought tribute. On the dingwei 丁未 day of the ninth month in the third yearof the Taiping xingguo era (30 October 978) Boni’s ruler Xiangda sent envoys whosubmitted a letter and camphor and tortoise shells as tribute. His envoys wereconferred saddles, horses, sacrificial vessels and brocades by the Hall for theVeneration of Governance (Chongzheng dian 崇政殿 ) 44 , and they were housed inthe Foreign Relations Office (Libin yuan 禮賓院 ). On the 24 th day of the secondmonth of the fifth year of the Yuanfeng era [Boni again] brought tribute. 45This passage strips the TPHYJ account to the bare essentials, and provides newinformation only in the form of the presents that were given to the envoys. The horses andsaddles were probably for use in the capital for it is difficult to imagine how they wouldtransport them back to their home country. The name of the ruler is consistent with theearlier reports, but again the exact location of Boni remains a mystery. The date providedfor the arrival of the envoys is apparently incorrect, as other sources agree on the year 977.Boni 渤泥 in the Long Draft of the Continued Mirror in Government (Xu Zizhi tongjianchangbian 續資治通鋻長編 )In the Xu Zizhi tongjian changbian 續資治通鑑長編 (1183) by Li Tao 李濤 (1115‐1184), an annalistic history of the Northern Song dynasty covering the period from 960 to1100, the country is referred to as Boniguo 渤泥國 . 46 The commentary explains that thisinformation was derived from the shilu 實錄 (“The Veritable Records”) of emperorShenzong, which are no longer extant. The arrival of the envoys is dated 3 November 977.44 According to Hucker, this hall was a subsection of the Hanlin Academy. See Charles O. Hucker, A Dictionaryof Official Titles in Imperial China (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1985), 195. The significance of thisdepartment in relation to welcoming foreign guests is obscure.45 See Wang Yinglin, Yuhai (Shanghai: Shanghai chubanshe, 1992), 154.34b‐35a.46 See Li Tao, Xu Zizhi tongjian changbian (Taibei: Shijie shuju, 1983), 18.18a (221).14
Kurz: Boni in Chinese Sources NSC Working Paper No. 4The date for the mission in 1082 is 26 March. 47 No more information is given there on thenumber of envoys, their names or the products they submitted, nor is the name of the rulerof Boni mentioned at that time.III. BONI IN TEXTS FROM THE YUAN DYNASTY (1279‐1368)Boni 勃泥 in the General History of Institutions and Critical Examination of Documents andStudies (Wenxian tongkao 文獻通考 ), 1308The relative ignorance with which Chinese official authorities treated the place may also beinferred from the entry on Boni in the Wenxian tongkao 文獻通考 (hereafter WXTK) by MaDuanlin 馬端臨 (1254‐1323). 48 The WXTK, being neither a geographical work like the ZFZnor an official dynastic history, but an encyclopedia, uses the earliest account, TPHYJ entry,in its description of Boni extensively.(TPHYJ) The country of Boni is situated in the big ocean to the southwest of thecapital (i.e. Beijing). It takes forty‐five days to reach Shepo, and it takes a voyage offorty days to reach Sanfoqi. Both Zhancheng and Moyi are thirty days of travelingaway. All these calculations are based on a steady wind. In that country planks havebeen used for city walls and the inhabitants within the city walls number more than10.000. [The city] rules over fourteen prefectures. The house of the king is coveredwith palm leaves, the houses of the common people are covered with grass. Thosearound the king are the high dignitaries (daren 大人 ). [The king] sits on a bedsteadmade of strings. When he leaves [his residence, the string bed] is covered with alarge plain piece of cloth, and a number of men carry it. This is called ruannang 阮囊 .The warriors carry a knife and armour. The armour, made of brass, has the form of abig tube, and they wear it on the body, so that it guards their belly and back.In that place grain does not grow, but it produces hemp and rice, and there are alsogoats, fowl and fish. As there are no silkworms, cotton is used to spin cloth. [Thepeople] drink coconut liquor. In the sequence for marriage presents coconut liquor47 Xu Zizhi tongjian changbian, 313.15a (3350).48 For more detailed information see Yves Hervouet (ed.), A Sung Bibliography (Bibliographie des Sung) (HongKong: Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1978), 174‐175; Zhongguo lishi dacidian: shixueshi juan 中國歷史大辭典 : 史學史卷 , ed. by Zhongguo lishi dacidian: shixueshi juan bianzuan weiyuanhui 中國歷史大辭典 : 史學史卷編纂委員會 (Shanghai: Shanghai Cishu chubanshe, 1983), 81. Note that the date 1224 given for the work inEndymion Wilkinson, Chinese History: A Manual Revised and Enlarged (Cambridge, MA: Harvard UniversityPress, 2000), 526, is incorrect.15
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