Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c5.s2.t5.2

v1.c5.s2.t5.2

It is said that Zhang Qian, who was sent by the emperor of the Western Han Dynasty on a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions, brought back to central China the seeds of this plant. Hence, it was called the gourd from Hu, referring to the non-Han people inhabiting that region in ancient China. Later, it was renamed cucumber (*huanggua*). There are two versions about its renaming. In the first version, the 拾遗本草 (*Shiyi bencao*) compiled by Chen Cangqi pointed out, “To avoid the taboo of Shi Le, the northerners changed its name to cucumber, and this name has persisted to the present day.” Because Shi Le, king of the later Zhao kingdom belonged to the Hu nationality, he did not want to hear this reference to ‘Hu’ in connection with this plant. The second version is as follows. It is recorded in the *Gleaners’ Record*, composed by Du Bao of the Tang dynasty, alternately titled the *Gleaners Record during the reign period of Daye*, that emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty had named *huchuang* 胡床 as *jiaochuang* 交床. The emperor also renamed