Boni in Chinese Sources - Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre - iseas

Kurz: Boni in Chinese Sources NSC Working Paper No. 4Upon introduction to the emperor in Nanjing, Manarejianarenai knelt down and said:The Emperor has received Heaven’s precious mandate and has unified the Chineseand the yi‐barbarians. My country is a distant island in the ocean but I receivedImperial grace and was enfeoffed. Since that time, in our country, the rain andsunshine have been timely, there have been successive years of bountiful harvestsand the people have been without calamities. In the mountains and in the streams,precious treasures have been revealed and the plants, trees, birds and animals haveall thrived. The elders of the country say that this is all due to our being sheltered byYour Majesty’s great grace. I wished to gaze on the brightness of the Sun and tooffer a little tribute to show my humble sincerity. Thus, not fearing the dangers anddistance involved, I have personally led my family and the people of my country tothe Court to express gratitude. 111Following the regulations that had been drawn up earlier, the emperor personally gave theruler of Boni a banquet at the Fengtian Gate, while his family and retainers were conferred abanquet at the former Three Dukes Office. 112A little more than a week later, on 17 September 1408, Manarejiananai was again invited toa banquet. 113 Three days later, on 20 September 1408, the king of Boni received“ceremonial insignia, a throne, a water pot and a water bowl all made of silver, a parasol,and a fan, both made of white silk gauze and two ‘saddled horses’ plated in gold.” 114 He wasalso given ten suits, made from various silks. His family and officials were given Chineseclothing too, except for the women, who were provided with clothing in their customarystyle. 115 On the same day, the Ministry of Rites remarked, that the ceremonies and ritualsfor the king, when meeting with the crown prince, had not been defined. The emperor111 Wade (trans.), Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi‐lu, http://epress.nus.edu.sg/msl/entry/1290, accessed 16April 2005.112 Ming Taizong shilu 82.7b‐8a (1106‐07).113 Ming Taizong shilu 82.8b (1108).114 Wade, Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi‐lu, http://epress.nus.edu.sg/msl/entry/1282, accessed 16 April 2005.115 Ming Taizong shilu 83.1a (1109).37