Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c6.s3.t1: Qi Min Yao Shu
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c6.s3.t1
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Qi Min Yao Shu
v1.c6.s3.t1.1
*Important Means of Subsistence for Common People* (Qimin Yaoshu) was a comprehensive agricultural book in the Northern Wei period and was one of the four ancient “agricultural books” as well as the earliest and most systematical important book in global agriculture history. It was written by Jia Sixie between 533-544 CE. The book recorded some crops from foreign areas (including Indian crops) and provided relevant knowledge. It was an important historical book to know about Sino-foreign (including India-China) agriculture knowledge exchanges.
v1.c6.s3.t1.2
*Important Means of Subsistence for Common People* had 10 volumes and 92 chapters. It expounded comprehensive contents in the aspects of agriculture, forest, animal husbandry, sideline production and fishery such as fruits, vegetables, crops, agriculture, horticulture, forestation, farming, brewage, breeding and relief etc. It was claimed as one of “ancient Chinese encyclopaedias” and had profound influences. Volume 10, “foreign products including five cereals, fruits, melons and vegetables” recorded over 100 tropical and subtropical plants and over 60 wild and edible plants, included varieties such as cucumber, coriander, shallot bulb, rocambole, walnut, celery, clover and grape etc. Volume 10 of *Important Means of Subsistence for Common People* quoted growth season of Indian wheat from Records of Countries in the Western Regions, “wheat is grown on the Winter Solstice ie November 6 and it is ripe on December 16 which is called as the 12^th month of the lunar year”. It also quoted records related to the thinking tree (bodhi) from Records of Song Mountain. This tree is the Indian Ficus bodhi tree and its scientific name is Ficus Religiosal. Historical materials such as bodhi tree in *Important Means of Subsistence for Common People* and Mochu tree from Simhala (or Sri Lanka) have certain values to study history of crop plantation in China and South Asia. *Important Means of Subsistence for Common People* also collected methods of some foreign species. Its Volume 7 quoted “pepper wine method” in Records about Vast Topics where the cold or hot wine can be drunk after smashing one liang of dry ginger and 70 peppers into powder, mixing five litres of spring wine and juice of five pomegranates, warming it on fire. This “Biba wine” formulated by Hu people was a common Indian pepper medical wine and had the function of curing diseases. *Important Means of Subsistence for Common People* recorded multiple wine-making methods with pungent and fragrant materials such as black pepper, dry ginger, caryophyllus and Piper longum Linn etc which witnessed eastern propagation of ancient Indian medical wine.
v1.c6.s3.t1.3
(*Chen Ming*)