I have been rereading the 9th Century Arab travelers’ accounts of China that I read almost eight years ago. There I found some descriptions of Chinese, Arabs as well as Indians, as the ancient Arab seafarers also visited India en-route. I thought I should share them with you and start a discussion. In 800 AD, the Arab merchants sailed to as far as China to carry out peaceful trade. China was to them a new world which they observed with curiosity. In 1118 AD, Arabs imported gun powder from China (a mixture of potassium nitrate, sulphur and charcoal) and invented the artillery pieces. Thankfully, the Arab merchants were educated enough to note down their observations in their accounts which today help us construct a reliable picture of China’s past as seen through the eyes of foreigners.
Well, this is my short introductory note. I don’t want to make it lengthy. So let us have a look at some of their observations.
The ancient Arab travelers’ accounts were translated by Renaudot in the book titled, The Chinese Repository, Vol. I, 1832. It is available on internet.
What I found very interesting is that the Arab travelers had found the Chinese, I quote, “the Chinese are more handsome than the Indians, and come nearer to the Arabs, not only in countenance, but in their dress, in their way of riding, in their manners, and in their processional ceremonies.”
See this on page 14.
Well, the Arabs were full of admiration of Chinese beauty and described the Chinese handsomer than Indians but what is striking is that they found the Chinese appearing closer to the Arabs themselves in terms of countenance or physiognomy! Did the Arabs look like Chinese in those days? We don’t know, we can’t know and we don’t have a time machine to go back to that period to have a peek.
History is full of mystery, isn’t it?
The Arabs also compared the Chinese with Indians. We see that the Indians surpassed the Chinese in sciences, particularly, astronomy. Not only that, they also observed that the Indians taught the Chinese, as the Chinese themselves believed, religion, particularly idol worship. Let me quote, “the Chinese have no sciences, and their religion, and most of their laws, derived from the Indians” and that the “Indians taught them the worship of idols and consider them (Chinese) as a very religious nation.” However, the Arabs also noted that the Indians and Chinese “differ in many points touching the precepts of their religion.”
Page 15
Then, we see that the Arabs also observed similarities between Indians and Chinese as both of them did not marry within their own tribes and were not satisfied with one wife as well as how the Chinese worshiped idols, prayed to them and fell down before the idols.
Page 15
This proves that the Indians had taught the Chinese religious practices which were Sinicized as soon as the Chinese adopted it.
But how could the Arabs and the Chinese have similar countenance? Arabia was yet to be conquered by Chenghiz Khan’s Mongol army!
Please share your thoughts.
Well, this is my short introductory note. I don’t want to make it lengthy. So let us have a look at some of their observations.
The ancient Arab travelers’ accounts were translated by Renaudot in the book titled, The Chinese Repository, Vol. I, 1832. It is available on internet.
What I found very interesting is that the Arab travelers had found the Chinese, I quote, “the Chinese are more handsome than the Indians, and come nearer to the Arabs, not only in countenance, but in their dress, in their way of riding, in their manners, and in their processional ceremonies.”
See this on page 14.
Well, the Arabs were full of admiration of Chinese beauty and described the Chinese handsomer than Indians but what is striking is that they found the Chinese appearing closer to the Arabs themselves in terms of countenance or physiognomy! Did the Arabs look like Chinese in those days? We don’t know, we can’t know and we don’t have a time machine to go back to that period to have a peek.
History is full of mystery, isn’t it?
The Arabs also compared the Chinese with Indians. We see that the Indians surpassed the Chinese in sciences, particularly, astronomy. Not only that, they also observed that the Indians taught the Chinese, as the Chinese themselves believed, religion, particularly idol worship. Let me quote, “the Chinese have no sciences, and their religion, and most of their laws, derived from the Indians” and that the “Indians taught them the worship of idols and consider them (Chinese) as a very religious nation.” However, the Arabs also noted that the Indians and Chinese “differ in many points touching the precepts of their religion.”
Page 15
Then, we see that the Arabs also observed similarities between Indians and Chinese as both of them did not marry within their own tribes and were not satisfied with one wife as well as how the Chinese worshiped idols, prayed to them and fell down before the idols.
Page 15
This proves that the Indians had taught the Chinese religious practices which were Sinicized as soon as the Chinese adopted it.
But how could the Arabs and the Chinese have similar countenance? Arabia was yet to be conquered by Chenghiz Khan’s Mongol army!
Please share your thoughts.
