This article explores the alleged Chinese origin of the pifiata by exam- ining Chinese textual sources and the book attributed to Marco Polo （1254-1324）, The Travels of Marco Polo. First, my work will briefly survey...This article explores the alleged Chinese origin of the pifiata by exam- ining Chinese textual sources and the book attributed to Marco Polo （1254-1324）, The Travels of Marco Polo. First, my work will briefly survey the history of the Chinese tradition called Dachunniu （hitting the spring ox） and that of the pifiata, speculating on the similarities and possible linkage between the two traditions. Second, it will conduct a textual investigation of the book attributed to Marco Polo and its historical context in order to examine the alleged Chinese connection of the pifiata. I argue that the practice of the pifiata can be tentatively attributed to the Chinese custom of the Dachunniu and that Marco Polo might have played a key role in the transmission of the tradition, but any definitive conclusion is dependent on additional evidences, textual, or material.展开更多
文摘This article explores the alleged Chinese origin of the pifiata by exam- ining Chinese textual sources and the book attributed to Marco Polo （1254-1324）, The Travels of Marco Polo. First, my work will briefly survey the history of the Chinese tradition called Dachunniu （hitting the spring ox） and that of the pifiata, speculating on the similarities and possible linkage between the two traditions. Second, it will conduct a textual investigation of the book attributed to Marco Polo and its historical context in order to examine the alleged Chinese connection of the pifiata. I argue that the practice of the pifiata can be tentatively attributed to the Chinese custom of the Dachunniu and that Marco Polo might have played a key role in the transmission of the tradition, but any definitive conclusion is dependent on additional evidences, textual, or material.
