I. Bibliography of Chinese Historical Sources on Burma

I. Bibliography of Chinese Historical Sources on Burma A. Chinese historical sources on Burma before the Tang ^ dynasty (from the 2nd century B.C. to 618) Title: Shi ji £13 (Records of the grand historian) Author: Sima Qian ^JIJg (145-86? B.C.) Summary: Volumes 116 and 123 contain two passages that relate how Zhang Qian 3SfI, the famous diplomat-cum-explorer of the Former Han dynasty (206 B.C-220 A.D.), visited Daxia ^cg(Bactria) and saw there Sichuan H jl| goods that he speculated must have come via Yunnan MW and Yuandu Mi$ (India). x Volume 123 also mentions "Dianyue" ÌAI3 , which according to Chen Ruxing is a mistranscription of "Piaoyue" MM and should be identified with "Pu-vastu," i.e., the Pyu kingdom (199Id[HI]). Comment: Completed before 91 B.C., these accounts indicate that the Sichuan-Yunnan-Burma-India overland trade route was already in use as early as (and probably before) the 2nd century B.C. Title: Han shu M§ (History of the [former] Han dynasty [206 B.C.-25 A.D.]) Author Ban Gu gE@ (32-92) Summary: Volumes 28 and 61 contain two passages relevant to Burma. One records how during the reigns of Emperor Wu Ä3F (140-96 B.C.) and Wang Mang 5Ef? (9-23), Han envoys sailed from modern Guangdong MM province to India with the aim of buying luxury goods, such as pearl 1 Many scholars outside China mistakenly pronounce and spell the first character M as "shen" in English (Wang Gungwu 1958:23, note 25 [IV]; Watson 1962:269, 275, and 294 [IV]; Wolters 1967:257 [IV]; Yu Yingshi 1967: maps on the front and back end sheets, 112, 115 [III]) or as "chen in French (Chavannes 1967:LXXIII [IV]). The ancient pronunciation of Jp as in MM is in fact "ivan" (Ji Xianlin et al. 1985:162, note 1 [IV]). The Journal of Burma Studies, Volume 2 9 Chinese Historical Sources on Burma and opaque glass. Several place names are mentioned, including Duyuan Ult, Yilumo êHfë, Chenli jjggt, Fugandulu ^"0"IPEL, Huangzhi ^3t, Pizong ^g?, and Yichengbu S ?!-^· The other passage describes briefly the Han court's failed attempt to open the overland route leading to Daxia by pacifying the "Xinanyi" ffi^H meaning "southwestern barbarians". Comment: The first passage is the earliest written evidence of the maritime trade between China and South and Southeast Asia. While the precise locations of most places have been debated for years, it should be certain that some of them have some bearing on Pyu history. Chen Ruxing postulates that Fugandulu ("Pugramadvara" in Sanskrit and "Pugamadvara in Pali, meaning "doorway to the land of the Pyu") was located at or around Takuapa on the west coast of the Malay peninsula (199Ig[III]; 1994b:17 [III]). Chen speculates further that Pizong might have been located in present-day Burma; that its name was later changed to "Bisong" .tfcüS , as recorded in the Tong dian 3ÜÄ and Taiping yulan ^^PHl^E; and that it should be identified with the "Piqian" WiM mentioned in the Liang shu ^H, Nan shi (^£, and Taiping yulan, as well as with the "Michen" UiE that appears in Tang and Song records (1994b: 13-15 [HI]). *3. Title: Sanguo zhi ELM& (History of the three kindoms) Author: Chen Shou fàB (233-297) Summary: Volume 30 cites the Wei lue Ü B§, by Yu Huan M^, in which are mentioned the terms Panyue M.M and Hanyue MM- The former is the Sanskrit name (Brahma-vatthu) for the Pyu people, while the latter might be a mistranscription of Piaoyue MM (Chen Ruxing 1991d:194 [III]). In addition, the Sanguo zhi mentions the maritime route from Daqin ;*C=SI (the Roman empire) to Yongchang ^kH (present-day Baoshan ííc |1|), in southwestern Yunnan, thus alluding to the overland route between Yunnan and the Pyu kindom. Comment: Completed around 290. 4. Title: Hou Han shu fêHft (History of the Later Han dynasty [25-220]) 10 The Journal of Burma Studies, Volume 2 J. A. Before the Tang Dynasty (1st century B.C. to 618) Author: Fan Ye %$ (398-445) Summary: Volumes 4, 5, 6, 51, and 86 contain accounts of...