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THE IDENTITY OF MARCO POLOS ZAITUN WITH CHANGCHAU. 221
This confiscation of Ahmed’s property as stated in the Yuan annals fully agrees with Polo's version, while De Guigne’s translation in Note N°. 590, page 316 in Marsden’s Polo, which reads as follows: <Kublai n'ouvrit les yeux sur la conduite d’Ahama «qu'après l'exécution; il fit déterrer, mettre en pièces le corps du «ministre Ahama, et livra tous ses biens au pillage», is far from the truth.
The concordance of the Yuan annals in this particular with Polo’s story in the Ramusian version is astonishing, and with such undoubted proof of the reliability of Ramusio's text I think it deserves higher recognition than it has hitherto received; and by accepting it, the whole Zaitun difficulty can be solved and the puzzle can be well put together. I will now give a description of what I consider Marco Polo’s route from Kinsai (Hangchau) to Zaitun (Changchau) and identify, as far as [ am able, the cities mentioned by him on his journey. Î purpose reading Polo’s Chinese names, not as they are pronounced in Chinese to day, but by their old sounds, which Julien used with such good service in identifying sanscrit proper names. [ intend, as far as the route is concerned, to follow the highway which has been used by travellers for cenituries, and the greater part of which is by water. Ï may mention that the boats used on this route can be luxuriously fitted up, and the traveller can go in them all the way from Hangchau to Chinghu ‘), the head of the navigation of the Ts‘ien-t'ang river *). A& this Chinghu, they disembark and hire coolies and chaïrs to take them and their luggage across the Sienhia pass‘) to Puching ?) in Fuhkien. This route is described by Fortune in an opposite direction, in his Wanderings in China, Vol. 2, p. 139. I am inclined to think that Polo followed this route, as the one given by Yule, by way of
5 M. D SÈMEZL. O6 (EX. 0 À.
Shaohing *) and Kinhua *) by land, would be unnecessarily tedious for the ladies Polo was escorting, and there was no necessity to take it; more especially as there was a direct water route to the point for which they were making. I further incline to this route as ÎI can find no city at all fitting in with Yenchau !°), Ramusios Gengiu, along the route given by Yule.
Leaving Hangchau by boat for Fuhkien, the first place of importance reached is Fuyang ‘), a 100 hi from Hangchau. This name does not in any way resemble Polo’s Ta Pin Zu, but I think it can be no other. From Fuyang the next point reached is Tunglu "?), also auother 100 li distant. Polo ealls this city Ugim, a name bearing no resemblance to Tunglu, but this name and Ta Pin Zu are so corrupted in all editions that they defy conjecture. One hundred li further up the river from Tunglu, we come to Yenchau !), in which J think we have Polos Gengiu*of Ramusio’s text. Yule’s text calls this city Ghiuju, possibly an error in transcription for Ghinju; Yenchau in ancient Chinese would, according to Williams, be pronounced Ngam, Ngin, and Ngienchau all of which are sufficiently near Polo's Gengiu. The next city reached is Lan Ki Hien “) or Lan Chi Hsien, famous for its hams, dates and all the good things of this life, according to the Chinese. In this city Î recognize Polos Zen Gi An of Ramusio. Does its description justify me in my identification ?
«The city of “Zen gi an’, says Ramusio, is built upon a hill «that stands isolated in the river, which latter, by dividing itself «into two branches, appears to embrace it. These streams take op- «posite directions: one of them pursuing its course to the South-
«east and the other to the North-west» 15). Fortune, in his wander-
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15) Ramusio. Marsden’s Marco Polo, p. 549.
THE IDENTITY OF MARCO POLOS ZAITUN WITH CHANGCHAU. 223
ings in China, Vol. 2, p. 139, calls Lan-Khi, Nan-che-hien and says: «It is built on the banks of the river and has a picturesque «hill behind it».
Milne, who also visited it, mentions it in his life in China p. 258 and says: <at the Southern end of the suburbs of Lan-Ki the «river divides into two branches, the one to the left on South-east «leading direct to Kinhua». Milne’s description of the place 1s almost identical with Polo's, when speaking of the division of the river. There are in Fuchau several Lan-Khi shopkeepers, who deal in hams, dates etc. and these men tell me the city from the river has the appearance of being built on a hill, but the houses on the hill are chiefly temples.
I would divide the name as follows Zen gi an, the last syllable an most probably represents the modern Hien, meaning District city, which in ancient Chinese was pronounced an, softened by the [talians into an. Lan-Khi was a Hien in Polo's day.
Eighty-five li beyond Lan-Ki-hien is Lung-yin, a place not mentioned by Polo, and another ninety-five Li still further on is Chüchau or Keuchau 5), which is, I think, the Gie-za of Ramusio and the Cuju of Yule’s version.
Polo describes it as the last city of the government of Kinsai (Chékiang) in this direction. It is the last Prefectural city, but ninety li beyond Chüchau !5) on the road to Puchêng is Kiangshan, a District city which is the last one in this direction. Twenty li from Kiangshan !) is Chinghu ‘*), the head of the navigation of the T'sien-tang-river. Here one hires chairs and coolies for the journey
over the Sienhia pass !”) to Puchêng, a distance of 215 li.
16) 45 PA. 17) ŸL [I 18) jh 19) {ll EE $4 -
From Pucheng *), Fuchau can be reached by water in 4 or 5 days. The distance is 780 li.
From Puchêng to Kien-Ning-Foo ?') the distance is 290 li, all down stream. [ consider this to have been the route followed by Polo. His calling Kien-Ning-Foo, Que lin fu, is quite correct, as far as the Ling is concerned, the people of the city and of the whole southern province pronounce Ning, Ling. The Ramusian version gives very full particulars regarding the manufactures of Kien-Ning-Foo, which are not found in the other texts, for example, silk is said in this version to be woven into various stuffs, and further: «They also make much cotton eloth of dyed thread which is sent all over Manzi». All this is quite true. Much silk was formerly and is still woven in Kien-Ning, and the manufacture of cotton cloth with dyed threads is very common.
Such stuff is called Hung Lu Kin ?), «Red and green cloth». Cotton cloth, made with dyed thread, is also very common in our day in many other cities in Fuh-Kien. Going down stream from Kien-Ning, we arrive first at Yen-Ping #) on the Min main river.
Eighty-seven li further down is the mouth of the Yiu-Ki river, up which stream, at a distance of eighty li, is Yiu-Ki city #1) where travellers disembark for the land journey to Yung-chun *) and Chinchew ?). This route is the highway from the town of Viu-Ki to the Seaport of Chinchew. This I consider to have been Polo’s route, and Ramusio’s Unguen I believe to be Yungchun, locally known as Eng-chun or Ung-chun, a name greatly resembling Polo’s
Unguen. I look upon this mere resemblance of name as of small
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