A Chinese in the Nubian and Abyssinian Kingdoms (8th Century). The visit of Du Huan to Molin-guo and Laobosa

A Chinese in the Nubian and Abyssinian Kingdoms (8th Century)

Smidt, Wolbert G.C.¹ 

关键词: récit de voyage;    Abyssinie;   

DOI  :  10.4000/cy.33

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Centre Francais d Archeologie et de Sciences Sociales de Sanaa

【 摘 要 】

This article focuses on the firstChinese whose presence in Africa is clearly documented. Due to thegeographical curiosity of the T`ang dynasty, extracts of an 8th centurytravel report of a Chinese military officer, Du Huan, were documented andpreserved. He visited Arabian and African countries. The location ofMolin-guo, an African country, seems to be clarified today: it appears tobe located in the dry desert lowlands in Sudan and Eritrea. Likewise, thissource clarifies the location of another region: Laobosa appears to havebeen south of Molin-guo, which is the first mention of Abyssinia in anancient Chinese source. This text is thus one of the very few ancientsources contemporary to the late Aksumite kingdom. Briefly, but withsignificant details, the relevant peoples` customs are described, most ofthem still identifiable today.

【 授权许可】

Unknown