Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms, Volume 56

Compiled by Wei Yuan of Shaoyang Wei Yuan (1794–1857) was a prominent scholar-official of the Qing Dynasty. Shaoyang is his hometown in Hunan Province.

History and Evolution of the Russian State in the Northern Ocean Originally missing, now supplemented

According to the Examination of the Four Tributaries of the Imperial Qing Dynasty original: "Huangqing Siyi Kao," a historical record of foreign nations known to the Qing court, the Russian state reaches the [Arctic] Sea to its northeast. To the south, it borders the territories of the Khalkhas, the Dzungars, the Kazakhs, and the Torghuts These refer to various Mongol and Central Asian nomadic groups that formed the frontiers of the Qing Empire. To the west, it borders various Western countries The text uses "Xiyang," a term that generally referred to Europe during this period.

During the Qin and Han dynasties [approx. 221 BCE – 220 CE], this region belonged to the Hunyu, Qushe, and Dingling nations; the Xiongnu A powerful confederation of nomadic peoples who were the primary rivals of early Chinese dynasties eventually annexed all these lands.

During the Tang Dynasty [618–907 CE], it was the Guligan state, situated north of the Hanhai A term historically used for the Gobi Desert or, more likely here, the region around Lake Baikal; its territory extended north all the way to the sea.

During the Yuan Dynasty [1271–1368 CE, under Mongol rule], these were the lands of the Alousi original: "阿羅思," a phonetic transliteration of "Russia" or "Rus" used during the Mongol era, the Jilijisi [Kyrgyz], and the new territories of the Angke Likely referring to the Angara River region in Siberia.

The History of Yuan The official history of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty states that the Kyrgyz lands were over 10,000 li A traditional Chinese unit of distance, roughly 500 meters or 0.3 miles south of the capital, Dadu modern-day Beijing. Their territory was 1,400 li long and half as wide. The Qian River the Yenisei River flows through it to the northwest and empties into the Angke'la River the Angara River, which then flows north into the sea. Today, these lands are possessed by Russia.