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THE IDENTITY OF MARCO POLO’S ZAITUN WITH CHANGCHAU. 229
moment in comparison with the weighty and important statement, that «this place is remarkable for a great manufacture of sugar».
Going South from the Min river towards Chinchew, this is the first district in which sugar-cane is seen growing in any quantity.
Between Kien-Ning-Foo and Fuchau I do not know of any place remarkable for the great manufacture of sugar.
Pauthier makes How-Kuan do service for Unken or Unguen, but this is inadmissable, as there is no such place as How-Kuan; it mnply one of the divisions of the city of Fuchau, which is divided into two districts, viz. the Min-Hien ?) and the How-Kuan Hien. À small quantity of sugar-cane is, T admit, grown im the How-Kuan?#) division of Fuchau-foo, but it is not extensively made into sugar.
The cane grown there is usually cut into short pieces for chewing and hawked about the streets for sale. The nearest pont to Foochow where sugar is made in any great quantity is Yung-Foo, a place quite out of Polo’s route. The great sugar manufacturing districts of Fuh-Kien are Hinghua ?), Yungchun ’), Chinchew *’), and Changchau *?).
The next city reached after Unguen is Kangiu. «Through the «midst of which passes a river a mile in breadth, upon the banks «of which, on either side, are extensive and handsome buildings».
«In front of these, great numbers of ships are seen lying, chaving merchandise on board, and especially sugar, of which «large quantities are manufactured here; also many vessels arrive at «this port from India. The ships coming from India ascend the
«river as high up as the city» **).
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33) Marsden’s Marco Polo, p 557.
This Kangiu I recognize to be Chinchew, locally called Chuanchiu and Ts‘wan-chiu, a city famous in Marco Polo's day for its extensive trade with foreign countries.
Foreign ships anchored under its very walls, or, as Polo says, «Ships coming from India ascend the river as high up as the city». This cannot be Zaitun, for ships did not ascend the river as high up as the city, they anchored at the port on the seaboard. In confirmation of this Abulfeda says: <There is à river at Zaitun and the town is situated near its mouth».
The ships at Kangiu were especially loaded with sugar. The oreat export of Chinchew is sugar, and the sugar-cane Is grown in all directions. The mere mention of Sugar as an article of commerce does not in any way fit in with Fuchau, which, as [ have already stated, is not a place where sugar is grown or manufactured in the extensive way spoken of by Polo.
Yule’s text has Fuju in the place of Kangiu, and it also states «Enormous quantities of sugar are made there». Certainly Yule is right when he says Fuju resembles Fuchau. It does, I acknowledge, in sound, but the place called Fuju in his text does not answer in description to Fuchau. All my friends in China agree that im this great manufacture of sugar Fuchau is put entirely out of court. Ramusio in his version gives no description of Fuchau, he simply says: after leaving Gieza (Chüchau) in Che-Kiang you enter the kingdom of Koncha, the principal city of which is Fugiu.
Another very curious fact strikes me with regard to Fuchau: Abulfeda appears to make no mention of it whatever, much less as a port of Foreign trade.
Ramusio's Kangiu would appear to be mentioned under the name of Khandjiu. To return to Polo’s itinerary:
«Upon leaving the city of Kangiu and crossing the river to
«proceed in a South-easterly direction, you travel during five days
THE IDENTITY OF MARCO POLO’S ZAITUN WITH CHANGCHAU. 227
«through a well inhabited country, passing towns, castles and «substantial dwellings, plentifully supplied with all kinds of pro- «visions. The road lies over hills, across plains, and through «woods, in which are found many of those shrubs from whence «the camphor is procured. The country abounds also with game. «The inhabitants are idolaters. They are the subjects of the Grand «Khan, and within the jurisdiction of Kangiu. At the end of five «days journey you arrive at the noble and handsome city of Zai- «tun, which has a port on the sea-coast celebrated for the resort «of shipping, loaded with merchandize that is afterwards distributed «through every part of the province of Manji» se)
When you leave the city of Chinchew for Changchau, which lies in a South-w., not a South-easterly direction, you cross the river by a handsome bridge, and travelling for five days by way of Tung-an %) locally Tang-oa, you arrive at Changchau. Along this route in many parts, more especially in that part lying between Tang-oa and Changchau, very large camphor-trees are met with. I have frequently travelled over this road. The road from Fuchau to Chinchew, which also takes five days to travel over, is bleak and barren, lying chiefly along the sea-coast, and in winter a most uncomfortable journey. But few trees are met with; a banyan here and there, but no camphor-trees along this route; but there is one extremely interesting feature on it that would strike the most unobservant traveller viz: the Loyang bridge, one of the wonders of China. Had Polo travelled by this route, he would certainly have mentioned it. Pauthier remarks upon Polo’s silence in this matter: «It is surprising», says he, «that Marco Polo makes no mention
of it» 35).
34) Marsden’s Polo, p. 559. 35) FF] Le ; 36) Pauthier’s Marco Polo, Vol. 2, p. 529, Note 156.
In the extract given above, Zaïtun is called à noble and a handsome city, which has a port on the sea-coast. I understand that we have here a city with a port on the sea-coast. Once that point is yielded all is clear. This port on the sea-coast is the key to the problem.
Yule’s text is not quite so clear, and reads:
«At this city you must know is the Haven of Zayton frequented by all the ships of India, wbich bring thither spicery and all other kinds of costly wares» (Yule’s Polo, Vol. 2, p. 217 (2nd edition).
Such a city and such a port as described by Ramusio did exist in Mongol times at Changchau, and at the entrance to the Changchau river. The city, I believe, was Changchau itself, and the port Yueh-Kiang *), of which latter name and of its probable corruption into Zait-hun I will treat further on. The local history of Hai-têng, a city at he entrance to the Changchau river, informs us that:
«Prior to 1068, the country at the entrance to the Changchau river was nothing better than a morass or bog. About this time a native of the neighbourhood Seay-Po-yi *), who had held office in the neighbouring province of Che-kiang, set about reclaiming the land. Embankments were made to keep out the water, and ditches dug to drain the land. These ditches, from their representing in form the moon lying on her back, were called moon-streams, and on this account the whole of the recovered land and the town built upon it received the name of moon-streams, Yueh-kiang». In the same history, and also upon a stone tablet bearing the date 1571, on the banks of the Canal and opposite the city walls of Hai-têng,
we are informed that:
se) 2 Ab CAE V6 MR 2 5 + — 6, À
THE IDENTITY OF MARCO POLO’S ZAITUN WITH CHANGCHAU. 229
The district now forming the Haiteng magistracy was anciently known as Yueh-kiang (locally pronounced Gaykang) and comprised the group of villages collectively called the 8th and 9th divisions of the Lung-ki magistracy (Changchow). This Gaykang consisted of a large collection of houses intersected by many rows of streets, which from very remote times was celebrated as the centre of à mighty trading-place; as it bordered on the sea, the tide ebbed and flowed up to it and foreign vessels visited it in great numbers *).
All the requirements of Ramusio’s Zaitun are here. À port on the sea-coast celebrated for the resort of shipping and situated, as Abulfeda says, near the mouth of a river.
The Port Yueh-kiang, which [ recognize as Zaitun, was founded about 1086, and its prosperity did not show any signs of decay till the Japanese attacked it in their various descents upon this port of Fuhkien in 1561.
When China came under the rule of the Mongols, a Superintendent of customs was appointed to collect the revenue levied upon shipping in the ports of Fuhkien; and at this time Changchau and Chinchew are mentioned as being under the control of one officer “). Chinchew was fixed upon as his residence, probably on account of its being at that time the capital of the Province; and the Superintendent had under him deputies for the collection of duties at all the ports of Fuhkien and even in Chinchew itself.
I find at this time both at Chinchew and Changchau there was an
