Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms: Volume 56

Page 5

Currently, these lands are situated in the west, with the Guligan original: 骨利幹; an ancient Turkic-speaking tribe living near Lake Baikal in the east; both are located within the southern borders of present-day Russia. During the Yuan Dynasty, the name "Russia" O-luo-si already existed.

Today, many of these people have red hair, pale faces, and green eyes; they are likely the descendants of the Jiankun The ancient name for the Kyrgyz people. During the Yuan Dynasty, there were the Jiliji and the Jiligisi Variations of "Kyrgyz", as well as Hanhena, Qianzhou, and Yilanzhou.

The southern part of the Kyrgyz lands lies more than 10,000 li A traditional Chinese unit of distance, roughly 500 meters from the capital, Dadu modern-day Beijing. Their territory is 1,400 li long and half as wide. The Qian River The Yenisei River flows through its center toward the northwest. To the southwest, there is a waterway called the E-pu The Ob River, and to the east and north is a waterway called the Wang-yan; both are massive bodies of water. They meet at the Qian River and flow into the Ang-ke-la River The Angara River, traveling north until they enter the sea The Arctic Ocean.

Their customs differ from those of other nations. The land produces famous horses and "Sea-Hawks" original: 海青 (Hai-qing); likely refers to the gyrfalcon, highly prized for hunting in white and black varieties. The Ang-ke-xin people are named after the river they live by; they are a subsidiary group of the Kyrgyz. Their land is over 25,000 li from the capital and corresponds to the Guligan nation recorded in the Tang Dynasty Histories.

The Yousi tribe is also named after a river; they live east of the Kyrgyz and north of the Qian River. Hanhena Likely the Kemchik region translates in the eastern language Mongolian as a "cloth bag." This is because the mouth of the valley is narrow while the interior is vast; the terrain resembles a bag, and so it was named. It is located at Wusumu, where the source of the Qian River emerges. There are only two mountain passes in this territory through which one may enter or exit. The mountain forests are dense and the terrain is exceedingly treacherous.

Qianzhou is also named after the river. It is 9,000 li from the capital, located southeast of the Kyrgyz lands and southwest of the Qian River, north of the Tanglu Mountains The Tannu-Ola range. According to the Map of the Northern Deserts, traveling 3,000 li northwest [from the frontier] leads to Ang-ji-er Lake. From there, traveling another 500 li brings one to Qianzhou and the Kyrgyz lands. Traveling a further 1,000 li leads to the "Great Marsh" Likely Lake Baikal or the Arctic coast.

Wei Yuan’s Note: Qianzhou is north of the Tanglu Mountains and west of the Qian River. The Kyrgyz are north of the Qian River. The Wusi tribe is in the northeast. The Kexin tribe is in the far north where the Qian River enters the sea. Only Hanhena is in the extreme...