Fusang

The Chinese characters for "Fusang"

Fusang or Fousang (扶桑, Mandarin Pīnyīn: fúsāng) is a country described by the native Buddhist missionary Hui Shen (慧深; Mandarin Pīnyīn: huìshēn) to the Chinese in 499 CE , as a place 20,000 Chinese li east of Da-han, and also east of China. It seems probable that the Han li measuring 415.8 metres was used. If so, the 20,000 li distance would translate into about 8,316 kilometers.

Da-han is described as a place north-east of the country of Wo (southwestern Japan). Hui Shen went by ship to Fusang, and upon his return reported his findings to the Chinese Emperor. His descriptions are recorded in the 7th century Book of Liang (History of the Liang Dynasty) by Yao Silian.

An earlier account claims that in 219 BCE emperor Shi Huang sent an expedition of some 3,000 young men and women to a wonderful country lying far off to the east, across the ocean, called Fusang. There were, apparently, two expeditions under Xu Fu, the court sorcerer, to seek the elixir of life. The first expedition returned c. 210 BCE when Xufu claimed a giant sea creature was blocking their path. Archers were then sent to deal with this monster when the expedition set out a second time, but it was never heard from again. However, ". . . . asides in the Record of the Historian imply that its leader Xu Fu had returned to China long ago and was lurking somewhere near Langya, frittering away the expedition's impressive budget."

Interpretations

Eastern Japan

A common interpretation of the term "Fusang" is Japan, although in Hui-Sheng's report Fusang is presented as distinct from the statelet of Wo, another name associated with ancient Japan and probably could have been describing Japanese communities in the island of Kyūshū or Ryukyu Kingdom.

In Chinese mythology, Fusang refers to a divine tree in the East, from where the sun rises. A similar tree, known as Ruomu exists in the west, and each morning the sun was said to rise from Fusang and fall on Ruomu. Chinese legend has ten birds (typically ravens) living in the tree, and as nine rested, the tenth would carry the sun on its journey. This legend has similarities with the Chinese tale of the fictional hero Houyi, sometimes referred to as the Archer, who is credited with saving the world by shooting down nine of the suns when one day all ten took to the air simultaneously. Some scholars have identified the bronze trees found at the archaeological site Sanxingdui with these Fusang trees. The term Fusang would later designate Japan in Chinese poems.

Fusang is pronounced Fusō (扶桑) in the Japanese language, and is one of the names to designate ancient Japan. Several warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy were named Fusō (the ironclad Fusō, or the World War II battleship Fusō). Several companies, such as Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation also bear the name.

The Americas

This 1753 map by the French cartographer Philippe Buache locates Fusang ("Fou-sang des Chinois", "Fusang of the Chinese") north of the State of California, in the area of British Columbia.

According to some historians since the work of Joseph de Guignes (Le Fou-Sang des Chinois est-il l'Amérique? Mémoires de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres, tome 28, Paris, 1761), the distances given by Hui Shen (20,000 Chinese li) would locate Fusang on the west coast of the American continent, when taking the ancient Han-period definition of the Chinese li. Some 18th century European maps locate Fusang north of the State of California, in the area of British Columbia.

The Chinese li, or Chinese unit of distance, varied through time, but it was 415.8 meters during Han dynasties. It seeems probable that the Han li continued in use for some centuries after the fall of the Han. If that is so, the 20,000 li would translate into about 8,316 kilometers, a close approximation of the distance between China and British Columbia (8,600 kilometers). Even if the shorter Tang Dynasty (CE 618-907) li of approximately 323 meters was used, it would give 6,460 km, in which case, the distance could just indicate Fusang was a very long way from China.

Descriptions of Fusang

Mention of Fusang ("Fousang des Chinois") on a 1792 French world map, in the area of modern British Columbia.

According to the report of Hui Shen to the Chinese during his visit to China, described in the Liang Shu:

"Fusang is 20,000 li to the East of the country of Dàhàn (lit. 'Great Han'), and located to the east of China (lit. 'Middle Country')."

"On that land, there are many Fusang plants (perhaps red mulberry) that produce oval-shaped leaves similar to paulownia and edible purplish-red fruits like pears. The place was rich in copper and traces of gold and silver but no iron. The native tribes in Fusang were civilized, living in well-organized communities. They produced paper from the bark of the Fusang plants for writing and produced cloth from the fibers of the bark, which they used for robes or wadding. Their houses or cabins were constructed with red mulberry wood. The fruits and young shoots of the plants were one of their food sources. They raised deer for meat and milk, just as the Chinese raised cattle at home, and produced cheese with deer milk. They traveled on horseback and transported their goods with carts or sledges pulled by horses, buffalo, or deer." (Liang Shu, in Lily Chow)

On the organization of the country:

"An emperor, or a main chief, with the help of several officials, governed the country. The majority of people were law-abiding citizens. The country had no army or military defense but two jails, one in north and the other in south of the country. Those who had committed serious crimes were sent to the north and they stayed there for their entire lives. These inmates, however, could get married. If they got married and produced children, their sons became slaves and daughters remained as maids" (Liang Shu, in Lily Chow)

On the social practices:

"The marriage arrangement was relatively simple. If a boy wanted to marry a girl, he had to build a cabin next to the home of the girl and stay there for a year. If the girl liked him they would get married; otherwise he would be asked to go away.…When a person died in the community his body would be cremated. The mourning period varied from seven days for the death of a parent to five days for a grandparent and three days for a brother or sister. During their mourning period they were not supposed to consume food, only water. They had no religion." (Liang Shu, in Lily Chow)

The Liang Shu also describes the conversion of Fusang to the Buddhist faith by five Buddhist monks from Gandhara:

"In former times, the people of Fusang knew nothing of the Buddhist religion, but in the second year of Da Ming of the Song dynasty (485 CE), five monks from Kipin (Kabul region of Gandhara) travelled by ship to that country. They propagated Buddhist doctrine, circulated scriptures and drawings, and advised the people to relinquish worldly attachments. As a result, the customs of Fusang changed".

See also: Silk Road transmission of Buddhism

References

• Chow, Lily, "Chasing Their Dreams. Chinese Settlement in the Northwest Region of British Columbia", Harbour Publishing, ISBN 0-920576-83-4. Also published by Caitlan (2001), ISBN 978-0920576830
• Clements, Jonathan (2007). The First Emperor of China. Sutton Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7509-3960-7.
• Hill, John E. (2009) Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han Dynasty, 1st to 2nd Centuries CE. BookSurge, Charleston, South Carolina. ISBN 978-1-4392-2134-1.
• Leylamd, Charles Godfrey (1875) Fusang; Or, The Discovery of America by Chinese Buddhist Priests in the Fifth Century, New York: Barnes & Noble, 1973. Reprint: Forgotten Books (2010), ISBN 978-1440070440.

See also

• Xu Fu
• Chinese mythology
• Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact

External links

• [1]
• [2]
• Description of Fusang in ancient Chinese literature 《梁書•五十四•列傳四十八》 in Big5 Chinese
• Article at CRIENGLISH.com on Xu Fu's expedition to Japan