从泉州到锡兰山:明代中国与斯里兰卡的交往

From Quanzhou to Ceylon:Archaeological Evidences of Communication between Ancient China and Srilanka

1911年在斯里兰卡南部的加勒港(Galle)发现了永乐七年"郑和布施锡兰山佛寺碑",此碑用三种文字记述了郑和向佛世尊、毗湿奴和真主阿拉贡献布施的史实。与此相呼应的是,20世纪90年代以来,在中国福建泉州发现了钦赐"世"姓的锡兰国后裔的祖茔与墓碑,这些碑文反映了古代中国人、印度人、波斯人在海上丝绸之路上活动的历史事实,同时也反映了海上丝绸之路不仅仅是东西方商贸之路,同时也是东西方宗教文化交流之路。元、明时期中国与斯里兰卡海上交流的史实有助于理解古代海上丝绸之路上的族群、语言与宗教背景。

In 1911, a famous stele was found in the port city of Galle in south Sri Lanka. This stele, dated in the year of 1409, was established in Ceylon （Sri Lanka） by the famous Chinese navigator Zheng He. This tri-lingual stele recorded the historical facts that Zheng He held sacrifices to Buddha, Visnu and Allah. Correspondingly, in 1990s, archaeologists found the tomb steles of Shi Family, who were confirmed to be the offspring of the early Ceylon ethnic group immigrated into the port city of Quanzhou. This paper, based on these archaeological evidences, aims to trace back the maritime trade between ancient China and Ceylon during the Yuan-Ming period, and then, probes into the ethnic, linguistic, and religious background of the ancient Maritime Silk Route.