The Xingcha Shenglan (Chinese: 星槎勝覽; lit. 'The Overall Survey of the Star Raft') was a Chinese historical work written by Fei Xin.[1] Fei Xin served as a soldier in the third, fifth, and seventh Ming treasure voyages under the command of Admiral Zheng He.[1] The book contains descriptions of foreign places that the Chinese mariners had seen. The literary term "star raft" refers to an ambassador's flagship.[2]

According to Dreyer (2007), Fei Xin's book was strongly influenced by Ma Huan's Yingya Shenglan.[1] Ma Huan was a translator and interpreter on Zheng He's fourth, sixth, and seventh treasure voyage.[1]

Fei Xin's original work comprised two chapters.[3] However, he rewrote and illustrated the initial work before presenting it to the court.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Dreyer 2007, 7
  2. ^ Dreyer 2007, 6
  3. ^ a b Duyvendak 1938, 394

Literature

  • Dreyer, Edward L. (2007), Zheng He: China and the oceans in the early Ming dynasty, 1405-1433, Pearson Longman, ISBN 978-0-321-08443-9
  • Duyvendak, J. J. L. (1938). "The True Dates of the Chinese Maritime Expeditions in the Early Fifteenth Century". T'oung Pao. 34 (5): 341–413. doi:10.1163/156853238X00171. JSTOR 4527170.
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