明代 筆記에 재현된 西域

Abstract

In this paper I discussed how Ming’s perception of the West was reflected in Biji of the Ming Dynasty. The writing pieces analyzed here were Xiyufanguozhi, Shuyuanzaji, Mashirichao and Shuyuzhouzilu. Also other historical texts and writing pieces were excerpted when it was necessary for the analysis. Considering the descriptions of the West in Biji of the Ming Dynasty, foreign cities were mostly depicted. Western cities, unlike the Chinese cities, were filled with Islamic mood and glamorous structures. The West was represented by the Timur Empire that unified Central Asia at that time. The cities of the Timur Empire, such as Herat, Samarkand, and Bukhara, established many glamorous and magnificent structures symbolizing devotion to Islam and the authority of empire. Also, people gathered around the structures to form cities and create civilizations. Biji of the Ming Dynasty state that the Islamic Bazaars opened in the major cities for active economic activities. Also, Biji of the Ming Dynasty describes an open social environment where men and women were able to make conversations and share jokes. This manifests that the women who are currently being discriminated in the Islamic societies were treated more equally and liberally in the 15th~16th Centuries. Biji of that time also had a unique perspective toward the western monks. The monks of the West were perceived as mysterious non-Chinese foreigners and distorted as other beings. Finally, Biji of the Ming Dynasty often discussed the drugs, incenses, and animals produced in the West. They became the key words in Biji of the Ming Dynasty to create the image of the West as a mysterious, exotic foreign place.