Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c13.20

v2.c13.20

During the 1ˢᵗ century CE, the Yunnan-Burma route was still very important in communication between India and China. The *Weilüe Xirong zhuan* says the following: “The Panyue kingdom has a certain king named Hanyue. It is several thousand *li* to the southeast of India (Tianzhu)… these people are small in stature and are of similar height as the Chinese. Merchants of the kingdom of Shu have similarly arrived here.” The location of Panyue, which is given as “several thousand *li* southeast of Tianzhu”, points to a region southeast of the Guishuang (Kuşāna) empire. This corresponds to an area in the present-day state of Assam in India and Bangladesh.