Jiāozhōu jì 交州記
Records of Jiaozhou by 劉欣期 (Liú Xīnqī, fl. Eastern Jin dynasty, late 4th century CE) — zhuàn 撰
About the work
A fragmentary geographic record of Jiāozhōu 交州 (modern northern Vietnam and southern Guangdong/Guangxi), composed by Liú Xīnqī 劉欣期 of the Eastern Jin dynasty. The text is one of the most vivid records of the natural products and peoples of the far south in early medieval Chinese literature, cited extensively in Tang-Song encyclopedias for its descriptions of exotic fauna and food items. The Suí shū bibliography lists a Jiāozhōu jì 交州記 in one juàn by Liú Xīnqī.
Abstract
The surviving passages cover a range of natural history and local culture:
-
Bamboo Rat 竹鼠 at Fēng Xī county 封溪縣: “The bamboo rat is as large as a small cat; it eats bamboo roots and is found in Fengxi county.”
-
Zhào Wū woman bandit 趙嫗: “Zhào Wū, a woman from Jiǔ Zhēn 九真 / Juān Ān county 軍安縣 with breasts several feet long; she never married, went into the mountains to gather a band of outlaws, and always wore golden high-clogs (jīn qí jī 金踶屐).” An unusual account of a female bandit of the far south.
-
Gǔ Dù tree 古度樹: “The gǔdù tree does not flower but produces fruit; the fruit issues from the bark, large as a pomegranate, red in color and edible. Inside the fruit are things like small berries (pú lí 蒲梨); taken and made into rice dumplings (zòng 粽), if not cooked within a few days, they all transform into insects like ants, with wings, that penetrate the skin and fly out, covering the house like a black stain.” An extraordinary natural history description.
-
Duō Gǎn berries 多感子: “The duō gǎn zǐ 多感子 is yellow in color, with a circumference of one inch.”
-
Coconut wine 椰漿: “The coconut has juice inside. Cut the flower; receive the juice with a bamboo tube; use it to brew wine and drink it — one becomes drunk.”
-
Giant fir at Hépǔ 合浦杉: “Two hundred lǐ east of Hepu is a giant fir tree; when its leaves fall, the wind carries them into Luoyang city. In Han times a skilled diviner said: ‘This is a fortunate omen; a king will arise here.’ So a thousand men were sent to fell the tree; many workers died. Three hundred people sat on the cut stump — it was spacious enough for them all to eat together.” A legendary tree of the South Sea trade zone.
-
Earth-meat broth 土肉為臛: The Jiǔ Zhēn Prefect Táo Huáng 陶璜 established the commandery and built a city; workers found a white object in an earthen pit — shaped like a silkworm chrysalis, without a head, dozens of zhàng long and over one arm-span in girth, soft and moving, of unknown species. When cut open, the flesh inside was like pork; it was made into broth — extremely fragrant; one cup served Prefect Tao, and the entire army ate its fill.
-
Hóng fish grilled 黌炙: “The hóng 黌 fish: its form is like a turtle, twelve feet, its spawn like sesame seed, which can be made into sauce. Black in color, its feet resemble crab-legs and are on its belly; females carry males while walking; southerners grill and eat them.”
These passages constitute one of the most vivid Six Dynasties records of the products and peoples of the tropical south.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.
Links
- ctext.org search: https://ctext.org/search.pl?if=en&search=交州記