《徐霞客游记》涉藏史实考信录

An Exploration on Historical Facts Related to Tibetan Areas in The Travelogue of Xu Xiaka

《徐霞客游记》中"滇游日记"的记载涉及明季以丽江纳西族地区为中心的藏边区域的藏传佛教活佛转世制度、政教关系、商贸往来、战争与和平、民族关系等内容,旁征汉藏文史资料和文献,考信史实,《徐霞客游记》在滇川藏交角区域纳西、藏等多民族关系史和政教关系史、汉藏文化交流史研究诸领域具有独特的价值。

The Travelogue of Xu Xiake （ xuxiake youji） , written in diary form, records the ob- servations of Xu Xiaoke （ b. 1587 - d. 1641 ） as he traveled in many provinces of China during the Ming period （ 1368 - 1644）. The travelogue provides detailed descriptions about the geography, hydrology, geology, plants and animals of the region where he travelled, and makes a unique con- tribution to the study of geography and literature. The author, using the incisive insight of a Jiangdong （an area on the south of Yangtze River beyond Fuhu and Nanjing） literati recorded the cultural and natural geography with exquisite and beautiful words, leaving a rich muhidisciplinary source. The Travelogue of Xu Xiaka is the earliest book to describe the karst landform, and examine its formation process. It is recognized as the first professional work in the world which contains a de- tailed investigation and scientific description on the features, types and formation causes of Karst caves, as well as the distribution of various types Karst landform and their regional differences. Hence, The Travelogue of Xu Xiaka without a doubt, holds an important position in the history of geology, and is a precious source for later geographers and archaeologists. In addition, The Travelogue of Xu Xiaka corrected some mistakes related to the source of the Yangtze River which had been recorded in Chinese historical texts compiled before the Ming dynasty. Through practical investigation and exploration, he refuted the old saying ＂minshan daojiang＂ （ the Min Mountain is the source of the Yangtze）, a saying which was not doubted by Chinese scholars for almost a thousand years, i. e. ever since the completion of shangshu yugong （ The Book of History）. Xu Xiake affirmed that the Jinsha River was the direct source of the Yangtze. Qian Qianyi, a famous scholar in the Ming period made comments on The Travelogue of Xu Xiaoke, saying： ＂ （It） provides additional information and annotations that have not yet been included in the ＇ring＇ and ＇ zhu＇ , and also includes information that the ＇ yugong＇ （ ＇ring＇ , ＇ zhu ＇ and ＇ yugong ＇ are all classics of ancient China） that ＇ yugong＇ ） had not yet reached. ＂ Qian Qianyi also praised The Trave- logue of Xu Xiake by saying that ＂the true words, the great words, and the mysterious words should be transmitted instead of being lost＂ and regarded it as ＂the best travelogue in all of history ＂. He said that ＂Xu Xiake is a miraculous person in history, and his ＇travelogue＇ is a miraculous book in history. ＂ History has proven that Qian Qianyi＇ s praise is not exaggerated. The Travelogue of Xu Xiake actually made magnificent contributions to various disciplines, including geography, tourism studies, travelogue literature, and ecology studies. Moreover, The Travelogue of Xu Xiake recorded various flora of China, and discovered the influences of landform, climate, and wind speed with regard to their distribution and time of blooming. Xu Xiake carried out a practical investigation of the volcanic vent of Tengchong in Yunnan. He recorded scientifically the nature of the red pumice stone which erupted from the volcano, and explained the causes for its formation. He also gave a detailed description of the geothermal phenomenon near the volcano area. His learning style was totally different from the traditional one in that he advo-cated learners to step out of the classroom , to make practical investigations, and write knowledge gained from the field into a great diary - style book with simple but beautiful prose. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, The Travelogues of Xu Xiake has been cited as one of the important Chinese classics, and Xu Xiake has become one of the most famous historical cultural figures. The Travelogue of Xu Xiake is not only an immortal travel literature, but also an encyclopedia which reflects society in the later Ming Dynasty. For more than three hundred years, experts and scholars have carried out extensive research on Xu Xiake and his travelogue. At present, the studies on Xu Xiake and The Travelogue of Xu Xiake have formed a special international academic topic called ＂Xuxue＂ （the Study of Xu Xiake ）, and have also become an integral part of the study of the Chinese classics. For many decades , and especially during the most recent ten or twenty years, scholars have extensively researched the contributions of The Travelogue of Xu Xiake from a multi - disciplinary per- spective, including geography, history, tourism, literature and ethnology. Following this continued indepth research on The Travelogue, people have been concerned with and uncovered its scientific significance and social values. Its multiple values are noted constantly. The Travelogue also contains many brilliant accounts of the history, ethnic relations, politico - religious relations, war and peace, natural land- scapes, and cultural and natural landscape of the Yunnan, Sichuan, Tibetan region, including as well the regional economy transportation routes, cities and towns, minority peoples, customs and historical sites of this region. The historical facts related to Tibet an areas in the records are among the most worthwhile sections. This article examines, one by one, the histo- ry, ethnic relations, the reincarnation system of Tibetan Buddhism, the politicoreligious relations, and the war and peace efforts in the cross border region of Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet which were recorded in The Travelogue of Xu Xiake when Xu Xiake was traveling in the Naxi area of Lijiang, Yunnan, so as to prove that what Xu recorded in his travelogue truthfully reflects the actual situation of the commerce and trade, political competition, religious exchange between various ethnic groups on the borders of Tibetan during the Ming period. Xu Xiake recorded the paths of eminent monks who travelled between the Tibetan area and other re- gions in a background of increasingly complex and changing ethnic relations. For instance, the emi- nent monks or the Living Buddha of the Karma Kagyu sect constantly went to the capital of the Ming Empire to negotiate the politico -religious re- lations between the central government and Tibetan area. At the same time, Xu also described that the frequent pilgrimages to Mt. Wutai in Shanxi and Mt. Jizu in Yunnan by eminent Tibetan monks and their believers brought mutual trade and cultural exchanges between the Naxi, Han, and Tibetans, and that these pilgrimages created harmonious and stable political -religious relations among the various ethnic groups. They also promoted a healthy development process by constructing a unified plural country. Originally, Xu Xiake had plans to go to the Tibetan area. However, he was unable to because of the fighting in the cross border region of Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet which had resulted from the increasingly complex tensions among the different religious sects. The Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism was gradually flourishing through the support of the Mongolian Khoshut as a result of the alliance between the Mongolians and Tibetans. The military might of the Khoshut made a fast paced expedition to the south; there were alliances or oppo- sitions from time to time between the Tibetan gov- erument, the Naxi＇ s Mu clan tusi （native offi- cial） of Lijiang, Yunnan, the Baili tusi of the Tibetan Kham area, and various political and reli- gious powers of the Karma Kargyu for their own benefits. Warfare broke out constantly. One year before Xu Xiake＇ s arrival in Lijiang, there was a military conflict between the tusi of the Mu Clan and the armies of the alliance of the Mongolians and Tibetans. The tusi of the Mu Clan of Lijiang, who had once held a ruling position in the Kham area, especially southern Kham, was defeated in this fight. As a result, the Mu clan lost their dominant position in the high plateau area of Kkam in Yunnan. The situation of Mu Clan tusi marked a trend of the historical development, and the fight between the Naxi a