Treatises of the Supervisor and Guardian of the Cinnamon Sea: The Natural World and Material Culture of Twelfth-Century China

13 The Man

148 13 The Man (Zhi Man) The commanderies under the jurisdiction of the managing and organizing commissioner [jinglue shi]1 of Guangxi number twenty-five.2 In addition to these, there are the various Man administrative units of the southwest. As for the tribal settlements [quluo] of the Man, I cannot note them all. So for now I will just record what I have heard about them and the contacts that have taken place between us. The Command Inspectorate [Shuaisi]3 often has dealings with several tribes [zhong] in their territory, which are known as the 1 Jinglue shi is an abbreviation for the office title jinglue anfu shi, or managing and organizing commissioner for pacification and comfort. During the Song dynasty this was functionally the chief military official of a circuit. 2 Fan Chengda uses “commanderies” (jun) here in the general sense of administrative districts. After the Jin invasion and occupation of north China in the mid-1120s, the Guangnan West Circuit comprised two municipalities, twenty counties, and three military districts, which altogether numbered twenty five. These are listed in Songshi, 90.2239. The Chinese administrative units on this list should be distinguished from the Man “bridle and halter” districts described below. 3 This government agency served as the dominant regional authority on the Guangnan West Circuit and was charged with coordinating all civil and military affairs. Hucker, no. 5483. The Man 149 bridle and halter counties and settlements [jimi zhoudong].4 These tribes are known as the Yao, Lao, Man, Li, and Dan. They are collectively referred to as the Man. Bridle and Halter Counties and Settlements [jImi zhoudong] subordinate to Yong County along the Left and Right Rivers are the most numerous. Formerly, there were four circuits [dao] of the Nong clan [Nongshi],5 called Anping,6 Wule,7 Silang,8 and Qiyuan.9 Everyone in those four counties10 had the Nong surname. There were also four circuits of the Huang clan [Huangshi],11 called Ande,12 Guile,13 Lucheng,14 and Tian counties [Tianzhou].15 Everyone in those four counties had the Huang surname. There were also the people of the four market towns [zhen] of Wuhou, Yanzhong, Shimen, and Gande,16 4 On the jimi zhoudong, or “bridle and halter counties and settlements,” and the translation of dong as “settlements,” see the Introduction. 5 The Nong was one of two major tribal clans in Guangxi (the other being the Huang; see the text below). According to Fan Chengda, during the Southern Song the Nong clan was concentrated in the four counties or circuits mentioned here, located along the modern border between China and Vietnam. For additional information on the home region of the Nong, see Anderson, The Rebel Den, 74. 6 Anping County corresponds to modern Daxin xian, Guangxi. 7 Wule was located in the area around modern Fusui xian, Guangxi. 8 Following the SKQS ed., 36a, and reading Silang 思浪 rather than Zhonglang 忠浪. Silang, which was near modern Daxin xian, Guangxi, is undoubtedly the correct name of this county. See Songshi, 90.2240. 9 Qiyuan County was in the general vicinity of modern Pingxiang shi, Guangxi. 10 The “four counties” refer to the four circuits just mentioned. All fell under the jurisdiction of the Yong County Commanding General’s Headquarters (Yongzhou Dudu Fu). 11 The Huang clan was concentrated in the four bridle and halter counties mentioned here. 12 Ande County was near modern Jingxi xian, Guangxi. 13 Guile County corresponds to Baise xian, Guangxi. 14 Lucheng was in modern Tianlin xian, Guangxi. 15 During the Song, two of the four counties mentioned here, namely Guile and Tianzhou, were on the Right River Circuit in Yong County. Tianzhou corresponds to modern Tianyang xian. Ande and Lucheng were not official county names during the Song. Fan Chengda is using the former Tang dynasty “bridle and halter” county names here. See also Qi Zhiping, 38, n. 6. 16 The modern locations of these Song dynasty market towns are unknown. 150 Treatises of the Supervisor and Guardian of the Cinnamon Sea who have had affiliation17 since the Tang.18 When the government demarcated their tribal areas, the larger ones were made into counties, the smaller ones into towns, and the still smaller ones into settlements. As a result of the present dynasty ’s expansion efforts and increased presence [in the south], there are more than fifty such counties, towns, and settlements.19 Those individuals who are imposing and senior [xiongzhang] are selected to be leaders [shouling]; their people...