Chapter 5 Section 4 Lions and rhinos come to China

We have mentioned earlier that during the Qin and Han Dynasties, China’s products exported to India included silk and silk products, as well as Shu cloth and bamboo sticks. So, what products did India import to China?This is not specifically recorded in "Historical Records".But it is mentioned in other books.For example, there is such a piece of material in "Xijing Miscellaneous Notes": "When Emperor Wudi was poisoned, the country presented a series of bridles (horse bridles). All of them were made of white jade. Agate stone was used as a leash, and white light glass (that is, glass) was used as a saddle. The saddle was in a dark room. There are often more than ten feet in the middle, like the day and the sun. Since Chang'an, it has been decorated with pommel horses, and carved, or a horse decorated with a hundred gold." It can be seen that white jade, agate and colored glaze were decorated on the chains at that time. There is also a record in the third volume of "Sanfu Huangtu", which says: "Dong Yan often lies in the room of Yanqing. With the painted stone as the bed, the text is like a brocade; the purple glaze is the tent; the purple jade is the plate, like Qulong. Decorate it with miscellaneous treasures. The waiter fanned it outside, and said: "Why does jade need to be fanned and then cooled?" And the jade crystal was used as a plate, and the ice was stored in front of the knee. The jade crystal and the ice are clean, and the waiter said that the ice has no plate. The wet mat must be melted, but the jade plate is blown, and the ice and jade are all broken. The jade crystal is also a tribute from the Qiantu Kingdom. Emperor Wu bestowed it on this." The fifth record of "Supplementary Relics" is a little more detailed about the same thing, and it also says: "This Jade essence is also a tribute from Qiantu Kingdom." It seems that the jade essence and jade crystal here are the same thing, probably crystal.The Qiantu Kingdom is the Qiandara Kingdom (in northwestern India) or Shendu.

The records in "Hanshu" are not very detailed.In his "Geography", he mentioned the Huangzhi Kingdom in South India, and specifically said: "In the beginning of Emperor Ping, Wang Mang assisted the government. He wanted to show off his mighty virtue, so he bequeathed King Huangzhi, and ordered envoys to sacrifice rhinoceros." "Ji" also said: "In the spring of the second year of Yuanshi, Huang Zhiguo offered a rhinoceros." "Wang Mang Biography" also has the same record.This event was recorded three times in a book, which shows that it was a very sensational event at that time. It not only opened the eyes of the Chinese people, but also satisfied some people's psychology of great power, so people in later generations often mention this event. thing.

In the Later Han Dynasty, cultural exchanges between China and India increased. "Book of the Later Han Biography of the Western Regions" records the products of Tianzhu in great detail, but there are still not many specific records of the products of India being introduced to China.It is only in the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty Zhang Di Ji" that: In the first year of Zhang He (87 AD), "the Yuezhi country sent envoys to help Ba and Shizi." At this time, Yuezhi [yuezhi Yuezhi] who migrated from western China 〕People have conquered the northwestern part of India and established the Kushan Empire, so the things they donated may be the property of India.In addition, there is a record in the third volume of "Luoyang Jialan Ji", which says: "The white elephant was presented by King Hu of the Qiandara Kingdom in the second year of Yongping." , lions and so on were also introduced into China. "Hanshu Biography of the Western Regions" said that the Great Qin "made a market with Anxi and Tianzhu in the sea, and the benefits were ten times... In the ninth year of Yanxi Emperor Huan, King Andun of the Great Qin sent envoys from Rinan to offer ivory, rhino horns, and tortoise shells. The beginning is a pass. Its tribute is not rare, and there are too many doubts about it."Although what is being said here is the "contribution" of the people of the Great Qin to the Han Dynasty, some people believe that the so-called "envoys" of the Great Qin "are just representatives of folk business, who falsely use the official name to achieve their goals; the gifts they contributed did not come from Rome. It was native to India. Undoubtedly, Roman merchants used to come all the way east, sell Roman goods in India, and then load Indian products on their way to Malaya and beyond. There is no mission in Roman history at that time to send to China or to receive The clues of the Chinese mission".This makes perfect sense.