Baiyi Zhuan

TheBaiyi Zhuan(simplified Chinese:Bách di truyện;traditional Chinese:Bách di truyện;pinyin:Bǎiyí Zhuàn;lit.'Account of One Hundred Barbarians') is a description of theDaipolity ofMong Maoin 1396 written by two envoys, Qian Guxun and Li Sicong, sent by theMingcourt in China to resolve conflicts between theAva Kingdomin Burma and Mong Mao, also known as Luchuan-Pingmian. The description includes the history, geography, political and social organization, customs, music, food, and products of the region (Sun Laichen, 1997).Ming Shiludescribes the work:

The Messengers Li Si-cong and Qian Gu-xun were sent as envoys to the country of Burma and to the Bai-yi [Tai]...When Si-cong and the others returned, they memorialized the events. They also wrote Account of the Bai-yi, which recorded in detail the area's mountains and rivers, the people, the customs and the roads, and presented it. The Emperor was impressed that they had not neglected the duties of envoys and said that their talents were useful. He was very pleased and conferred upon each of them a set of clothing.

— Ming Shi-lu 11 Mar 1396

References

• Jiang Yingliang (1980)Baiyi zhuan jiaozhu [Annotated version of the Baiyi zhuan],Kunming:YunnanRenmin Chubanshe.
• Sun Laichen (1997) Chinese Historical Sources on Burma: A Bibliography of Primary and Secondary Works, "The Journal of Burma Studies, Volume 2: Special Issue, 1997, pp. 1-116.
• Wade, Geoff (1996) "The Bai Yi Zhuan: A Chinese Account of Tai Society in the 14th Century,"14th Conference of the International Association of Historians of Asia (IAHA),Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. (Includes translation of (Jiangliang, 1980), a copy can be found at theThailand Information CenteratChulalongkornCentral Library)[1]