Book Reviews

Author(s): J W De Jong
Publisher: J W De Jong

Page 25

REVIEWS
243
A.D. 110 and 121 (p. 8). Chapter 96 'The monograph on the Western Regions' contains a series of entries describing the communities and states which were settled along the two routes that led round the Taklamakan desert or which were situated further to the west (p. 4). Chapter 61 *The memoir on Chang Ch'ien and Li Kuang-li' relates the information obtained by them on the Western regions. Chang Ch'ien was sent as an envoy to the Yüeh-chi in 139 or 138 B.C. (p. 209, n. 774) and to the Wu-sun between the spring of 118 B.C. and 115 B.C. (p. 145, n. 390). Li Kuang-li led a campaign against Ta Yüan in 104-101 B.C. (pp. 43, 76 and 228). After the Ta Yüan expedition, Li Kuang-li was three times sent on campaigns against the Hsiung-nu, in the summer of 99 B.C., in the spring of 97 B.C. and finally in 90 B.C. He was put to death by the Hsiung-nu in 89 B.C. (pp. 236-237, n. 926).
According to the introduction, the information concerning the Western Regions in chapters 96 and 61 is based on the (verbal ?) report presented by Chang Ch'ien and other envoys and the reports submitted from the office of the Protector General, and, perhaps, on the ancient text included in the present chapter 123 of the Shih-chi (p. 31). The office of the Protector General was founded in 59 B.C. Loewe assumes that much of the statistical and factual information in chapter 96 derives from reports that were submitted to the central government from the office of the Protector General during the period when a Protector General was actively in this post in the Western Regions, i.e. some time between 59 B.C. and A.D. 16 (pp. 10-11). It is not known when chapters 96 and 61 were compiled. Loewe points out that, in the early decades of the Christian era, Chinese influence in Central Asia practically disappeared and was not effectively re-established until after A.D. 73 (p. 26). In a note he refers to an article by Pulleyblank who adduces reasons for the possibility that these two chapters were finished after A.D. 74.
In order to give the reader a better understanding of the historical background, Loewe devotes a section of the introduction to a sketch of relations between China and the peoples of central Asia during the Former Han dynasty. He remarks that from c. 65 B.C. the emphasis of Chinese policy changed. Governments now directed their efforts to founding static colonies as a means of maintaining the Chinese position rather than to displaying strength on the field of battle (p. 50).
The lengthy introduction (pp. 1-70) to which we have made frequent reference fully explains the importance of the two chapters translated by Hulsewe and Loewe (despite the title-page it appears from the preface that they prepared the translation together). The literature relating to them is very voluminous. Chinese scholars have written notes and commentaries probably already from the second century A.D. onwards. In recent times much work has been done by scholars in China, Japan and the West. The correct identification of geographical names still remains a problem. In the past this was often done on the basis of a superficial resemblance between Chinese sounds and names found in non-Chinese sources (p. 70). In the notes to the translations the identifications suggested by various scholars are listed, sometimes accompanied by critical remarks. For the reconstruction of the ancient pronunciation of the Chinese characters the translators have adopted Bernhard Karlgren's reconstructions of Archaic and Ancient Chinese - i.e. those of approximately the 7th century before and of the 7th century after the beginning of the Christian era. It is important for the non-sinological reader to realize that these reconstructions can only imperfectly reflect the Han pronunciation and that serious criticisms have been directed in particular against Karlgren's reconstruction of Archaic Chinese. With regard to the Han pronunciation of proper names, the work of Pulley blank is of special relevance and his reconstructions are carefully listed in the notes. The non-sinological reader will be extremely grateful to the translators for having added such a copious annotation. They have made every effort to render the translation accessible to specialists in other fields by explaining carefully such difficult matters as technical expressions and official titles. Useful comments made by Chinese scholars are summarized in the notes. The extensive bibliography (pp. 240-256) lists all the publications referred to in the introduction and the 930 (!) notes to the translation. The translators deserve special praise for the detailed index in which heavy type has been used to indicate where detailed information is