Entry

Tian-shun: Year 2, Month 3, Day 18

30 Apr 1458

Next Entry >>
<< Previous Entry

Li Huan, a person from Liu-cheng County in Dong-chang Prefecture, Shan-dong, memorialized: "I have observed the yi from the four directions coming to Court and noted that many of them just covet the rewards from the Court or come to spy on China's situation. It is not always the case that they have loyal hearts and are inclining towards righteousness. For example, the goods which the various yi who come from across the sea bring are limited, but they bring great harm to the people. There are fan lama monks from various areas who are extremely avaricious and who year after year come to offer tribute. As soon as they return home they come again. At the postal relay stations they pass through, they make a hundred demands. If their demands are not met to the smallest detail, they instantly take up knives or sticks and kill people. Some have even taken advantage of Shan-dong's hunger and desolation and have illegally purchased the children of destitute wanderers. When they have sufficient they leave. This harms the people and discredits the country. Good people are pained by their hate of such activities. It is requested that the relevant offices be ordered that if, in future, yi people who are coming to offer tribute disturb or give trouble to postal relay stations or illegally purchase children, they are to be punished in accordance with the law. In this way, the yi and the lu will be awed into submission by China and things will be settled." The memorial was passed to the Ministry of Rites which deliberated upon it. It was subsequently approved.

Ying-zong: juan 289.5b-6a

Zhong-yang Yan-jiu yuan Ming Shi-lu, volume 36, page 6184/85

Next Entry >>
<< Previous Entry

Preferred form of citation for this entry:

Geoff Wade, translator, Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi-lu: an open access resource, Singapore: Asia Research Institute and the Singapore E-Press, National University of Singapore, http://epress.nus.edu.sg/msl/reign/tian-shun/year-2-month-3-day-18, accessed January 22, 2019