Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms

Humanity, Volume 14

Compiled by Wang Qi (styled Yuanhan) of Yunjian

original: "雲間元翰父王圻" (Yúnjiān Yuánhàn fù Wáng Qí). Wang Qi was a Ming scholar-official; "Yunjian" is a literary name for Songjiang (near modern Shanghai), and "Yuanhan" is his courtesy name.

Edited by his son, Wang Siyi


Kingdom of Tripura original: "的刺普刺" (Dìlàpǔlà). Likely a phonetic transcription of Tripura, a region in Northeast India.	Tibet original: "吐蕃" (Tǔbō). The historic name for the Tibetan Empire and its people used in Chinese records.
Kingdom of Rennian original: "任輦" (Rènniǎn). A distant or semi-mythical land mentioned in early geographic texts.	Kingdom of Bula original: "不刺" (Bùlà). Likely referring to Berbera on the Somali coast or a Central Asian location.
Kingdom of Shala original: "娑羅" (Suōluó). Named after the Sal tree, often used to refer to various Indian or Southeast Asian kingdoms.	Kingdom of the Three-Headed People A mythical race described in ancient Chinese texts like the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
Kingdom of the Three-Bodied People original: "三身國" (Sānshēnguó). A legendary land where inhabitants were said to have three bodies joined to one head.	Kingdom of Giants original: "長人國" (Chángrénguó). Literally the "Long People," referring to legendary giants from the far north or east.
Kingdom of Pagan original: "蒲甘" (Púgān). Referring to the historic Bagan Kingdom in modern-day Myanmar.	Kingdom of Sicily original: "斯伽里野" (Sījiālǐyě). A phonetic transcription of Sicily, demonstrating the Ming Dynasty’s expanding awareness of European geography via maritime contacts.

Humanity (Renwu): One of the major divisions of this encyclopedia. This specific volume focuses on the "peoples of the world," mixing historical accounts of neighboring states with mythical lands from ancient folklore.

Wang Qi: The chief compiler of this work. He was a high-ranking official who spent much of his retirement assembling this vast repository of knowledge to serve as a visual aid for learning.