Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c5.s2.t14: Cat’s Eye
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c5.s2.t14
- Language
- English
Cat’s Eye
v1.c5.s2.t14.1
Cat’s Eye is a kind of chrysoberyl (which is also known as chrysoberyl jade). Zhao Rushi’s *Records of Foreign Countries* (Juan 2), written in the Song period, had this description of it: “Cat’s Eye was thumb-sized ie it was a small stone and was as clear as a Cat’s Eye, and so it got its name.” Juan 2 of Zhou Qufei’s *Lingwai daida* (Notes from the land beyond the passes) in the Southern Song Dynasty pointed out that in the Chola kingdom in South India, “to make ring agate, they always use things like Cat’s Eye.”
v1.c5.s2.t14.2
Cat's eye
v1.c5.s2.t14.3
The Yuan period work by Wang Dayuan, *Daoyi zhilue* (*A Brief History of the Island Countries*) claimed that Udaipur in present-day Odisha in India produced cloth, "Cat’s Eye", sapphire and kingfisher feathers. Both "Cat’s Eye" and "Cat’s Eye stone" in Ma Huan’s Ming period work, *Yingyai shenglan* (the Overall Survey of the Ocean’s Shores) were considered precious gems. Zhang Hongzhao pointed out in *Stone Elegance* that "Cat’s Eye" could be divided into three types ie crystal, crocidolite (Tiger's Eye and Eagle's Eye) and chrysoberyl (which was also called chrysoberyl Cat’s Eye and oriental Cat’s Eye). Ancient West Asia, India and China often traded gems and Cat’s Eye was one of them. Persian and Arabian merchants were good at identifying gems, and many of them came to China to engage in trade. *Juan* 186 of the *History of the Song Dynasty* recorded that an imperial decree was issued in the first year of Jianyan (1127) declaring that foreign merchants were forbidden to import precious and impractical things such as terebinth, ring agate and Cat’s Eye. Linschoten’s *Voyage to the East Indies* recorded that the best cat’s eye was from areas such as Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Pegu. Ceylon Cat’s Eye was also called cymophane, which was light green with a hard texture, beautiful colour and highly valued. Indians attached much importance to the properties of this gem and often brought it to China to sell at a high price because they knew it was much appreciated by the Chinese.