The introduction time and transmission route of different spices are different. It is necessary to study and analyze the documents and archaeological discoveries in order to know exactly how many spices along the Silk Road have promoted the exchanges and interactions between different countries, regions and nationalities in the world, thus promoting the dialogue and exchanges between different civilizations.
First, the import and use of spices in Han Dynasty
The opening of the Silk Road in Han Dynasty provided conditions for the import of exotic spices. According to literature records and archaeological excavations, some spices were introduced from the western regions through the overland Silk Road, and some were introduced from the southern seas through maritime traffic in the Han Dynasty.
In ancient legends, there is a record that spices were introduced into China from the Western Regions in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Dong Fangshuo's Ten Countries in the Sea records that there are caves in the West Sea and famous birds in the mainland. How big a tree is, it is similar to a maple tree, and the smell of flowers and leaves is hundreds of miles, so it is called a resurrection tree. ? Cut off its wood roots, boil the juice in a jade pot, and fry it with slow fire like a black cup. In this way, it can be made into pills, called Jingjingxiang, or Ling Zhen Pill, or Fan Shengxiang, or Zhensandalwood, or human bird essence, or fragrant, a total of six kinds. The spirit of things can smell a hundred miles, and the dead are on the ground, but when they smell their fragrance, they will live and never die again. Smoked to death with incense. Isn't that amazing?
1. The West Sea is a vague concept in ancient literature, with different specific meanings, but it is recognized in the western regions. The same book also records:? In the past three years, Emperor Wu was lucky, and the King of Yue in the West Lake sent an envoy to offer four ounces of incense, as big as a bird's egg and as black as a mulberry. Emperor Yixiang is not owned by China and can be paid to foreign treasuries. ? It is said that? Did Shen Xiang start to die of disability? ,? In the first year of Yuan Dynasty, there were hundreds of patients in Chang 'an, most of whom died. The emperor tried to burn Yue's incense in the city. People who died before March are alive, and the fragrance will not rest after March. .
The Yue family moved westward to Central Asia, which was a historical fact that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty heard before fighting back against the Huns. The story of Zheng He's third year (90 BC) took place after Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions, which shows that this story was set in the Han-Tong Western Region. Although these legends are inevitably exaggerated, the story should be based on the historical facts that spices were introduced to the western regions.
"Natural history to learn China? Making records is different: During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, people from all countries in the western regions of the weak water rode over the weak water to burn incense.
The emperor said it would last forever, and China didn't lack it. You're welcome to make it. After a long stay, the emperor was fortunate to go to the forest garden, and he made a thousand rides in the west and played its fragrance.
The emperor took it and saw that it was as big as a swallow's egg, with three pieces, similar to dates. The emperor was unhappy, in order to pay the foreign library. After the Great Plague in Chang 'an, all the palaces were plagues.
The emperor did not raise music, and the western envoys begged for it. Please burn a tribute to alleviate the epidemic. The emperor had to listen, and it was not good for the patients in the palace to bask in the sun. Chang' an baili salt smells fragrant, and it has accumulated for more than nine months, and the fragrance is endless.
The emperor sent a gift as a gift. On the other hand, burning incense was not accepted in the Han Dynasty. When the envoys of the western regions left, it was the man who smelled like soybeans, wiping the door of the palace, and the aroma could be smelled in Chang' an for dozens of miles. A few days later, he rested. ?
In the ancient legend of China, weak water symbolizes a river in the far west. Mr. Zhang said to him, this section of natural history notes is similar to that of the ten kingdoms mentioned above, but it is a dead fragrance. Juku Island and Fenglinzhou are both in the West Sea, and Fenglinzhou is surrounded by weak water. Fenglinzhou has been recognized as referring to Europe, so the weak water in this natural history must also refer to Europe. ?
Its geographical reference may not be as solid as Mr. Zhang's, generally referring to countries far west of China.
In the official history books, there are also records about incense production in the western regions and its introduction into China. Dongguan Hanji? The biography of Li Xun records:? He is the vice captain of the western regions, with rich family wealth and rich treasures. Jia Hu, a servant and vassal of various countries, left several slaves, horses, gold and silver, incense and donkeys. It's nothing. ?
"Once"? Li Xun Biography also has the same record, quoting Yuan Shu as saying:? Spices and honey are produced in the western regions. ? Preface to Ye Fan's Lotus Fragrance Square in the Southern Dynasties:? , Su He, Rest in Peace, Yujin, Duo, Luo, etc. all belong to this category, which is precious in foreign countries, but not in China. ? The mermaid in the Wei and Jin Dynasties was called Weiluo? The biography of Xirong records the products of Daqin, does it? Ivem, He, Di Ti, Fan Li (Why? Dead? ), Duna, Leonurus heterophyllus, Smoked Land, Turmeric, Jiao Yun, Smoked Grass and Twelve Kinds of Incense? . Daqin is the name of the ancient Roman Empire in China.
Spices also entered the southern coastal areas of China via the Maritime Silk Road, and then spread to the Central Plains. From 204 BC to 203 BC, South Vietnam was established in Zhao Tuo. Archaeological data show that South Vietnam has the custom of importing spices and burning incense from overseas.
There is no custom of burning incense in China. Incense and smoky spices were introduced from the Maritime Silk Road. Five four-piece copper fuming stoves were unearthed from the tomb of Nanyue King. The furnace body consists of four small boxes which are not connected with each other, and can burn four different spices. Archaeological findings and literature records show that smoke stoves were first seen in the tomb of Nanyue King in Guangzhou. Besides copper, it is also made of pottery, which should be the invention of South Vietnam. The widespread existence of fuming stoves shows that incense has become the living habit of the aristocratic ruling class in South Vietnam.
During 1955, four glazed pottery fuming stoves were unearthed from the Western Han Tomb in Guangzhou Overseas Chinese New Village. One of them is bean-shaped, the bottom is concave, and the lip is constrained into a sub-opening, which matches the lid. Height17.2cm, abdominal diameter11.2cm, round cover, hollow geometry, and bird buckle at the top; The organ body is like a bean, and there are four symmetrical circular holes in the abdomen.
Smoked spices are mainly produced in Southeast Asia, which reveals that South Vietnam has long had trade with overseas countries. There are two styles of incense burners in ancient China: North and South. Boshan incense burner is popular in the northern Central Plains. Boshan incense burner, also known as Boshan incense burner and Boshan incense burner, was a common incense burner in Han and Jin Dynasties. Liu Xiang of Han Dynasty described this kind of utensil in "Incense Furnace Ming":? If you are good at this, you will cut rocks like a mountain. After Taihua, there is an inscription board. Among them are Zhu Yan. ? Li You's Fumigation Inscription says:? Just like Penglai, it turns white into smoke. ?
From the time point of view, South Vietnam covered with beans smoked first, and Central Plains Boshan smoked last, indicating that the import route of spices and incense from overseas is Panyu (now Guangzhou) and then Central Plains. According to statistics, more than 200 incense burners were found in the unearthed objects of Han tombs in Guangzhou.
At that time, spices mainly came from Southeast Asia, reflecting the frequent exchanges between Guangzhou and Southeast Asia. After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty pacified South Vietnam, the Han Dynasty had direct contacts with Southeast Asia and South Asia. Overseas spices are transported to the Central Plains through the southern coastal areas. People in the Han Dynasty already knew that ancient India was the origin of spices. Which Tianzhu country is recorded in Biography of the Western Regions? There are fine cloth, eucalyptus, incense, honey, pepper, ginger and black salt. When he was in harmony with the emperor, he sent several envoys to contribute, but then the western regions turned against the banks, which was absolutely unique. In the second or fourth year of Emperor Huan, he frequently paid tribute from Japan and South Korea. .
This shows that Tianzhu incense was first introduced through the western regions, and later it was imported by sea because of the traffic jam on the Silk Road caused by the war in the western regions. In the Han Dynasty, mainland officials working in diplomatic missions often took bribes to obtain exotic spices from the South China Sea and bring them back to China. They also use this rare treasure to bribe powerful people in order to get promoted. "Once"? Jia Cong biography records:? The old address is rich in soil, and BenQ, Cui Yu, rhinoceros, elephant, Zunzun, extraordinary fragrance and beautiful wood all belong to it. Before and after the secretariat rate is not clear, bearing dignitaries, accumulating private bribes and making profits, we must invite new generations. ?
Among them? Exogenous fragrance? That is, spices from overseas.
Using incense is the expression of the luxury life of the upper class aristocrats. From the use point of view, spices can be divided into incense, hanging incense, coated incense and medical incense. In the Western Han Dynasty, there were records of burning incense in mainland China. Sima Xiangru wrote in Beauty Fu that he made a fortune in the morning and entered the palace at dusk on his way to Liang. Row houses and build their halls, fragrant but not fragrant, and the account is high? ; ? Provide bedding and exotic clothes; Jin Xiang, low account? . Ge Hong's Miscellanies of Xijing in the Eastern Jin Dynasty recorded that Zhao Yanfei, the queen of Emperor Zhao of Han Dynasty, lived in Zhaoyang Hall and had a green bear. All kinds of incense are smoked. You sit here and smell incense for a hundred days. .
The records of using incense in the Han Dynasty were more common in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Ying Shao's "Han" records that merchants have a history of waitresses. Choose the right one, from a straight waitress with a censer to protective clothing? . Wang Jia of the Jin Dynasty recorded in Volume VI of Notes that Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty built a naked tour hall in the West Garden, and swam here with imperial court officials in midsummer. Imperial secretary 27 has been, 36 has been, all dressed up beautifully, took off his shirt, but orally. Or * * * naked bath, incense offered by the western regions, boiled into soup, and imperial secretary bathed in it. Let the remaining juice enter the canal, which is called Liuxiang Canal? .
At the end of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao advocated frugality. His "Inner Commandments" said: In the past, at the beginning of the world, incense was forbidden in my house. In the future, women will have a country, so they will burn incense. I'm not good at burning incense. I wish I couldn't burn incense after the first ban, and I'm not allowed to hide my clothes with incense. ?
In addition, Cao Cao also gave Zhuge Liang as a gift with spices. Because incense is a precious thing, it is hard to get, and Cao Cao also specifically enjoined in his inheritance order that the lingering fragrance can be shared with his wife and not sacrificed. ?
At the end of the Han Dynasty, a scholar was appointed as the secretariat of Jiaozhou. Brothers are also in the army, Xiongchang is a state, cars are riding all over the road, and there are often thousands of people burning incense in the conference room. . Qin Jia's "Re-reporting a Wife's Letter" reveals the information and uses of incense introduced from the western regions. In addition, in the long poem Jiao Zhongqing's Wife written by Yuefu in the late Han Dynasty, Liu Lanzhi used his own words. Red Luo Gai fights the tent, and the four corners hang down the sachet. ? Fan Qin, a poet at the end of Han Dynasty, wrote a poem about love. Why are you knocking? The sachet is tied behind the elbow. ? These examples show that the sachet is hung indoors and worn on the body.
Other spices introduced from Han dynasty
What spices were introduced into China in Han Dynasty? Literature is often generally recorded as? Is it sweet? , rather than a specific variety. There are many kinds of spices introduced into China in history, but most of them are recorded by later generations. Some scholars believe that after the Three Kingdoms, China imported spices from southwest maritime countries, which was unknown in the Han Dynasty. ? He believes that this is because the import of spices has a deep relationship with Buddhism. Before the introduction of Buddhism, there was not much demand for spices in China. This view holds that after Buddhism was introduced into China, there was a greater demand for spices, which is reasonable. But what if you think so? My humble opinion about the Han Dynasty? , not too absolute. According to the analysis of the existing historical documents and archaeological excavation data, we can know that there were some spices imported in Han Dynasty, which can be used to know the specific categories.
Borneolum Syntheticum is a white crystal separated from the trunk of Borneolum Syntheticum, which has a camphor-like aroma and is native to Sumatra, kalimantan island, Malay Peninsula and Borneo in Southeast Asia.
The countries of Bali are in Indonesia today, but the exact location is unknown, including Bali, kalimantan island and Sumatra. According to archaeological findings, ashes or charcoal spices often remain in the belly of copper fuming stoves unearthed in the tombs of Nanyue State in Guangzhou. What about the copper fuming furnace unearthed from the No.2 Han Tomb in Luobowan, Guangxi? There are two white oval powder blocks in it? The researchers think this may be the residue of resin perfume such as borneol or agarwood. Rosemary is a kind of fragrant flower, which will release fragrance in warm breeze and hot sun. Originated in southern Europe, North Africa, South Asia and West Asia, introduced to warm temperate regions.
"Wei slightly? There are twelve kinds of Daqin incense recorded in Xirong Biography? Fandie？ . Jin Gong Yi's Guang Zhi goes:? Lost in the West Sea? . At the end of Han Dynasty, Midi was transplanted to China. Preface to Cao Pi's Ode to the Lost Butterfly:? There is more than one kind of fascination in the court, and it is a gift from the family to raise incense and make it fragrant. ? Fu youyun:? The more Wan Li wants to sign. ?
Cao Zhi wrote in "Rosemary Fu":? Sowing the beautiful grass in Xijing, should we unite youth? Fang Moqiu is a orchid, and Li Kunlun is Zhi Ying. ? RoyceWong's "Midi Fu" goes:? Be reconciled by righteousness and inherit the spirit of yin and yang. Yang Fengxin is of Spanish descent and is distributed and cultivated in Zhongzhou. ? They all stressed that it came from a distant foreign country, from the west. Chen Lin, Angelababy and others have written works on the same theme, and they all enthusiastically praised the beauty of tangled branches and leaves and the coolness of fragrance.
Clove, namely, clove, also known as clove, also refers to the flower buds on trees of the genus Syringa, also known as Dianthus, which is native to South Asia, Southeast Asia and Madagascar and introduced into tropical regions. It was also called chicken tongue fragrance in China ancient literature, and was introduced to China in Han Dynasty. Ying Shao's "Han Guan Yi" records that the servants of Emperor Huan are stubborn and smelly, and the chicken tongue smells it. ?
In fact, Diaocun is not a special case. Shang Shulang of the Han Dynasty has been to this temple. Hold Lan and drive Dan Yong away. What are you playing? This is routine. ? Still playing in Guangming Hall, all provinces are painted with Hu powder and painted with Dan on the side, so it is called Dan. It still smells like chicken tongue. He is playing below. Assistant Minister Huang Men bowed and accepted. ? This kind of incense was once a gift from Cao Cao to Zhuge Liang, saying: Today, I offer five pounds of chicken tongue as a token of my gratitude. ? Sun Wu Kangtai of the Three Kingdoms, Wu Shi's Biography of Foreign Countries, says: Wumazhou smells like chicken tongue. ? Wumazhou, also known as Mazhouzhou, is located in present-day Indonesia. The exact location is unknown, and it may be in Bali.
Frankincense, alias? Smoked land? A cloud? Duru? . Translated into Chinese Buddhist scriptures? Duru? Translation of Names Volume Yakumo:? Dulu, this cloud is smoke. ? Frankincense is a widely used perfume, which can be used for incense, lighting and seasoning, and can also be used for promoting blood circulation and relieving pain.
1983, a resin-like drug was found in a lacquer box in the west ear room of Zhao Mei's tomb in Xianggang Mountain, Guangzhou, which was similar in appearance to the frankincense found on the ship of Quanzhou's Houzhu Song Dynasty, so experts decided it was frankincense. Frankincense is mainly produced along the coast of the Red Sea. The area that really produces frankincense is Haderamao province in southern Arabia. There is no record of traffic in South Vietnam and the coastal areas of the Red Sea in the history books, so the frankincense found locally may have been introduced indirectly from South Asia. In the Three Kingdoms period, Wan Zhen's "Foreign Things in Zhou Nan" said:? Smoked out of Qin.
There are many big trees by the sea, and their branches and leaves are like Gu Song who was born on the beach. Wood gum flows out of the sand in midsummer, which looks like peach gum. Yi people sell them to businessmen, and if there are no businessmen, they eat them themselves. ? "Wei slightly? Xirong Biography records 12 kinds of incense in Daqin, including? Smoked land? . In ancient books, Daqin covers a wide range, including the Mediterranean coast of West Asia. In the Southern Dynasties, Dr. China had used frankincense as medicine, which was first seen in Tao Hongjing's "A Bie Lu of Liang Famous Doctors". Treat toxic swelling due to geomantic omen and eliminate pathogenic factors. Cure wind, addiction, rash and itching? . According to Tang Dynasty's Records of the Western Regions, the Achili Kingdom in South India? What about the smoked Lu Xiang tree with leaves like pears? .
Styrax is a resin secreted by Styrax of Hamamelidaceae, also known as Di Gao, Styrax oil, Styrax oil and geooil.
This kind of incense is produced in Africa, Asia, India and Turkey.
Styrax has a wide range of uses. People in the Han Dynasty learned more about Styrax and applied it to the court. "Once"? "Biography of the Western Regions" records that Su Hexiang was born in the state of Daqin, saying:? Combine all the incense and stir-fry the juice like that soho. ? What is the Jade Lady written by Fu Xuan in the Western Jin Dynasty? Is he the special treasure of Su Ling? What's the name of that sentence? Shu Zhen? , meaning from the outside. Liang Shu? Biography of Zhu Yi? Zhongtianzhu country? The article thinks that Su He is? Daqin treasure? , say Tianzhu? West and Daqin, rest in peace in the sea? What about junior high school? How old is Qin Gui? , including Su He. Is there any record about the emergence of Su Hexiang in the book? Su He is fried with various seasonings, isn't it natural? . Styrax has the miraculous effect of refreshing the brain and inducing resuscitation, and it can also clear away heat and relieve pain, so it can be used as a topical medicine.
Song Dynasty poet Zhao wrote:? Styrax oil is a big food country. ? Most barbarians use it to paint their bodies, and people who suffer from strong winds in Fujian also imitate it. It can be combined with soft incense and used for medical treatment. ? In ancient documents of China, agarwood is sometimes called agarwood and agar. Aquilaria sinensis smells like honey, so it is also called honey fragrance. Submerged, also known as submerged. Daphne family is produced in India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malay Peninsula, South China, Philippines, Moluccas and other places. "Zhufanzhi" cloud:? The agarwood is different, the real wax is the top, the market is the bottom, and the three Buddha women are the bottom. ? These places are all in Southeast Asia.
Daphne is a green tree. Only trees that are 20 years old, or trees that are more than 50 or 60 years old, have rotten branches. Wood with resin condensed in the core is called agarwood. The collection of agarwood is very dangerous, and it must pass through virgin forests and cliffs, so it is very precious. It is recorded in ancient Indian medical books that burning agarwood can infect the body with fragrance, which can be used as a medicinal material for treating trauma and wounds and has analgesic effect. Ge Hong's Miscellaneous Notes on Xijing records that when the Han Dynasty became emperor, Zhao was made queen, and his sister Zhao Hede left a letter of flying swallows and gave him a gift to congratulate him, including the fragrance of drowning. The later novel "Zhao Chuan" was born from this, and it was written in many places.
Benzoin originated from ancient countries of interest, Qiuci, Cao Guo and Arabian Peninsula, and was given its old name in Tang and Song Dynasties. The new materia medica says:? Rest fragrance is pungent, fragrant, flat and non-toxic. The evil spirit in the Lord's heart. Xirong is like turpentine, yellow and black, and the new one is also elastic. ? It is said that incense is solidified by resin from the wound of benzoin tree. China originally bought this incense from Persian merchants. Su Gong's Materia Medica of Tang Dynasty came from Xirong, when it refers to ancient Persia, and was later purchased from Southeast Asia, so Li Xun's Materia Medica was born in? Persia in the South China Sea? .
"Zhufanzhi" cloud:? Benzoin produces three buddhas, and its fragrance is the fat of trees. ? Benzoin is an earlier spice imported from overseas in China. In the previous episode, there were eighteen clouds in Youyang's miscellaneous words:? The benzoin tree comes from Persia, which calls it an evil spirit. The tree is three feet long, its skin is yellow and black, and its leaves have four corners. It won't wither when it is cold. Flowering in February, yellow, slightly blue, not strong. Carved its bark, its glue is like pulp, named benzoin. June and July are hard to decide, so it's settled. Burn through the gods, evil ? Li Shizhen said? This incense exorcises evil spirits and rests, hence the name. Or cloud: rest in peace, the name of the country is also. Brahma is called Zhuoxiang. ? The documents of the Han dynasty called the land of Persia a country of interests, which ceased to exist after the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Those who called this local spice benzoin may have followed the old name of the Han Dynasty.
Based on this, it is speculated that benzoin should be introduced from Han Dynasty.
Tulip, alias, flower, purple book fragrance, foreign lotus and musk. Due to the Mediterranean climate, tulips have formed the characteristics of adapting to wet and cold in winter and dry and hot in summer, but its exact origin has been difficult to verify. At present, most people think that it originated in Ceylon and the southwest Mediterranean. The aroma of tulips makes people fall for it, and its posture is elegant and refined, fresh and meaningful.
Yu written by Fu Xuan in the Western Jin Dynasty compared Yu with Su Hexiang in a foreign country. The smell is rich and fragrant. Is Su Ling's group rare? , suggesting that Yujin is also a rare treasure from abroad. In the Western Jin Dynasty, Zuo Fen's Yu Jin Fu was definitely introduced from abroad. This strange Iraqi grass, called Yujin, has gone beyond its own field. Come and look for it. . Liang Shu? Biography of Zhu Yi? Zhongtianzhu country? The article particularly emphasizes:? Yujin, alone in the guest country, is yellow and thin, similar to the lotus in the lotus. China people go to the Buddhist temple above first. After a long time of incense, they just want to go.
Jia people recruited employees from the temple and resold them to other countries. ? Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica quoted Chen Zangqi as saying: Tulips were born in Qin, and they have flowers in February and March, which are like red and blue. Pick flowers in April and May. ? Tulips were transplanted to China in the Han Dynasty, and Zhu Mu in the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote a poem entitled "Yu". Flowers bloom, jade and gold are unparalleled. More brilliant than Qiu Ju, Qi Mao Ying is more springy. ? Zhu Mu was a native of the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty. His poems did not mention where tulips came from, indicating that this exotic flower variety has become commonplace.
conclusion
The Han Dynasty was the first climax in the history of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. The Silk Road was opened in the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, which made the traffic between China and other places develop unprecedentedly. With the development of the Silk Road, cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries are organized and large-scale, and the import of various spices is an important embodiment of the climax of economic and trade cultural exchanges. The utensils, products and spices imported from abroad in the Han Dynasty enriched the material and cultural life of the society in the Han Dynasty and had a potential and far-reaching impact on the society in the Han Dynasty.
Although spices belong to the luxury of life, the import of spices initially served the upper aristocratic ruling class. However, with the development of Sino-foreign exchanges, these imported products have influenced the exchange of material achievements and spiritual products of different countries, regions and nationalities, promoted the mutual understanding of human beings and the interaction of different civilizations, and thus promoted the continuous leap of human civilization. The spread of spices not only enriches and improves the lives of people all over the world, but also promotes the mutual understanding of all ethnic groups and the progress of world civilization.