Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 33) (1609) - Page 2

for the Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms original: "三才圖會" (Sancai Tuhui). The "Three Realms" refer to Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

Compiled by Wang Qi (styled Yuanhan) of Yunjian Yunjian is a literary name for the Songjiang region near modern-day Shanghai, a center of scholarly publishing during the Ming Dynasty.
Revised by his son, Wang Siyi

Volume 13: Peoples and Foreign Lands The original heading "Renwu" (人物) literally means "Humanity" or "Figures," but in this context, it categorizes the various nations and ethnic groups known—or rumored—to exist at the time.


Kingdom of Great Ryukyu The Kingdom that ruled the Okinawa Islands; a key tributary state to the Ming Empire.	Kingdom of Japan	Kingdom of Fusang A mythical or semi-mythical land to the east, often associated with Japan or, in some modern fringe theories, the Americas.	Bachishe A phonetic transcription of a foreign ethnonym, likely a Central or Northern Asian group.	Asi A phonetic transcription, potentially referring to the Alans or an Asio-Central Asian group.
Kingdom of Little Ryukyu During the Ming era, this term was frequently used to refer to the island of Taiwan or the southern part of the Ryukyu archipelago.	Land of Gentlemen A legendary kingdom described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing) where the inhabitants are famously courteous.	Black Khitai Also known as the Kara-Khitan Khanate, a Central Asian empire founded by the remnants of the Liao Dynasty.	Baoshi A phonetic transcription of a foreign place or people.	Wuliang'aida Most likely a transcription of the Uriankhai, a group of forest peoples in Mongolia and Siberia.