Many persons
have remarked a decidedly Malay cast in the features of the natives of
this province; and it is highly probable that the Canton and Fo-kien
people were originally the same race as the tribes which still remain
unreclaimed on the east side of Formosa."[1] (Supply. Vol. p. 260.)
Indeed Martini tells us that even in the 17th century this very range of
mountains, farther to the south, in the Ting-chau department of Fo-kien,
contained a race of uncivilised people, who were enabled by the
inaccessible character of the country to maintain their independence of
the Chinese Government (p. 114; see also Semedo, p. 19).
["Colonel Yule's 'pariah caste' of Shao-ling, who, he says, rebelled
against either the Sung or the Yuean, are evidently the tomin of Ningpo
and zikas of Wenchow. Colonel Yule's 'some aboriginal tribe between
Fo-kien and Che-kiang' are probably the zikas of Wenchow and the siapo
of Fu-kien described by recent travellers. The zikas are locally called
dogs' heads, which illustrates Colonel Yule's allophylian theories."
(Parker, China Review, XIV. p. 359.) Cf. A Visit to the "Dog-Headed
Barbarians" or Hill People, near Fu-chow, by Rev. F. Ohlinger, Chinese
Recorder, July, 1886, pp. 265-268. - H.C.]
NOTE 4. - Padre Martini long ago pointed out that this Quelinfu is
KIEN-NING FU, on the upper part of the Min River, an important city of
Fo-kien. In the Fo-kien dialect he notices that l is often substituted
for n, a well-known instance of which is Liampoo, the name applied by
F.M. Pinto and the old Portuguese to Ningpo.
[Mr. Phillips writes (T. Pao, I. p. 224): "From Pucheng to Kien-Ning-Foo
the distance is 290 li, all down stream. I 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 cloth 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." - H.C.]
In Ramusio the bridges are only "each more than 100 paces long and 8 paces
wide." In Pauthier's text each is a mile long, and 20 feet wide. I
translate from the G.T.
Martini describes one beautiful bridge at Kien-ning fu: the piers of cut
stone, the superstructure of timber, roofed in and lined with houses on
each side (pp. 112-113). If this was over the Min it would seem not to
survive. A recent journal says: "The river is crossed by a bridge of
boats, the remains of a stone bridge being visible just above water."
(Chinese Recorder (Foochow), August, 1870, p. 65.)
NOTE 5. - Galanga or Galangal is an aromatic root belonging to a class of
drugs once much more used than now. It exists of two kinds: 1. Great or
Java Galangal, the root of the Alpinia Galanga. This is rarely
imported and hardly used in Europe in modern times, but is still found in
the Indian bazaars. 2. Lesser or China Galangal is imported into
London from Canton, and is still sold by druggists in England. Its
botanical origin is unknown. It is produced in Shan-si, Fo-kien, and
Kwang-tung, and is called by the Chinese Liang Kiang or "Mild Ginger."
["According to the Chinese authors the province of Sze-ch'wan and
Han-chung (Southern Shen-si) were in ancient times famed for their Ginger.
Ginger is still exported in large quantities from Han k'ou. It is known
also to be grown largely in the southern provinces. - Galingale is the
Lesser or Chinese Galanga of commerce, Alpinia officinarum Hance."
(Bretschneider, Hist. of Bot. Disc. I. p. 2. See Heyd, Com. Levant, II.
616-618.) - H.C.]
Galangal was much used as a spice in the Middle Ages. In a syrup for a
capon, temp. Rich. II., we find ground-ginger, cloves, cinnamon and
galingale. "Galingale" appears also as a growth in old English gardens,
but this is believed to have been Cyperus Longus, the tubers of which
were substituted for the real article under the name of English Galingale.
The name appears to be a modification of the Arabic Kulijan, Pers.
Kholinjan, and these from the Sanskrit Kulanjana. (Mr. Hanbury;
China Comm.-Guide, 120; Eng. Cycl.; Garcia, f. 63; Wright, p. 352.)
NOTE 6. - The cat in question is no doubt the fleecy Persian. These
fowls, - but white, - are mentioned by Odoric at Fu-chau; and Mr. G.
Phillips in a MS. note says that they are still abundant in Fo-kien, where
he has often seen them; all that he saw or heard of were white. The
Chinese call them "velvet-hair fowls." I believe they are well known to
poultry-fanciers in Europe. [Gallus Lanatus, Temm. See note, p. 286, of
my edition of Odoric. - H.C.]
NOTE 7. - The times assigned in this chapter as we have given them, after
the G. Text, appear very short; but I have followed that text because it
is perfectly consistent and clear.
