Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms

Volume 67: Outer Atlantic Ocean — Nations of the Southern Continent

Page 2

...fiercely dangerous. Sailors usually take the route south of the islands. There, the gale winds are violent and fierce, and dense fogs often obscure the way. The ferocity of the churning waves is twice as great as those at the Cape of Good Hope original: 大浪山 (Dàlàng Shān), literally "Big Wave Mountain," a traditional Chinese name for the Cape. When a ship successfully passes through, the crew all place their hands to their foreheads in gratitude, rejoicing as if they have been granted a second life.

The Chronicle of Foreign Lands original: Zhifang Waiji, a 1623 world geography by the Jesuit Giulio Aleni states: To the south of South America lies Zhìjiā original: 智加; likely a phonetic rendering of the Spanish Gigantes, meaning giants, which is the Land of Giants. The region is quite cold. The inhabitants are about ten feet tall original: yī zhàng, a Chinese unit roughly equal to 3.1 meters or 10 feet, and their entire bodies are covered in hair. In ancient times, the people were even larger; teeth have been unearthed from the ground that are three fingers wide and over four fingers long—one can imagine the size of the full body from such remains. These people are fond of using bows and arrows; their arrows are six feet long. To demonstrate their bravery, they will take an arrow and thrust it into their mouths until the feathers disappear down their throats. Both men and women decorate themselves by painting their faces in five colors.

The Chronicle of Foreign Lands states: To the north of South America is Cincaxila original: 金加西蠟 (Jīnjiāxīlà); likely a transliteration of Castilla del Oro, a colonial name for parts of Central and South America, here specifically referring to the New Granada region. This land produces gold.