2월 18일

18th Day. Arrival at Hsi-shan Station. This day was fair.

When it was light, an official named Wu Mo, who was in the same boat as Yang Wang, sent me a letter that said, “I hear, sir, that you are a gentleman of rank and conduct and want to make your acquaintance. My colleague Yang is also in this boat, and we wish to invite you to come and see us. Do not refuse us.” I went, led by Ch’en Hsuan. When I and Chòng Po reached their boat, Wu and Yang had put their chairs round a table. They folded their hands in greeting, and we sat down together. They served us tea and things to eat and were very courteous to us. From Feng Bridge we [reached Ch’ao Barrier]. When boats passing north and south reached there, they were anchored in a cove and inspected before proceeding. An Overseer named Lo was there. Formerly he had been in charge of weaving and dyeing in Chekiang, and now he had left Su-chou and was going toward Peking. He had come there ahead of us and moored. Three censors who were there came aboard the boats to send us on our way with wine and food. They invited me before them and received me courteously, saying, “You are a good man from a country of propriety and morality. Our important people all respect you.” Then they asked, “In the T’ien-shun and Ch’eng-hua periods [1457-1487], there were overseers who received Imperial orders to go to your country. Can you give their names in order?” I answered, “In the T’ien-shun period I was not yet out of my swaddling clothes, and I knew nothing of affairs of state. In the Ch’eng-hua period, Overseer Cheng T’ung, Overseer Chiang Yü, and Overseer Chin Hsing came successively as envoys.” They wrote something and showed it to me. It said, “Overseers Cheng, Chiang, and Chin have all become ancient. Only Overseer Chin is in Peking.”'55 I said, “I do not understand the two words, become ancient.' ” They answered, “The Chinese speak of dying as becoming ancient, meaning that they have already joined the ancients.” Then they asked, “What do you say in your country?” I said, “We call them things old (wu-ku).'” They asked, “What does things old' mean?” I said, “ 'Things (wu)' means 'acts'; 'old (ku)' means ‘not to have.' The expression means not again to have power to act.”'56 They asked, “What classics does your country esteem?” I replied, “All the Confucian scholars master the Four Books and Five Classics. They do not study other disciplines.” They said, “Does your country also have schools ?” I answered, “The national capital has the National Academy and also the Peers' School, Central College, Eastern College, Western College, and Southern College. All the departments, prefectures, counties, and districts have regional schools and local academies. All families have branch academies.”'57 They asked, “What sages of old do you revere?” I said, “We revere Confucius.” They asked, “How many years do mourning rites last in your country?” I said, “They follow entirely Chu Wen Kung's Chia li. Both the unhemmed garment and hemmed garment are for three years. The coarsely-woven garment and those below are respectively for shorter periods.58 They said, “What are the sections of the Code of Rites of your country and of the Code of Punishments?” I said, “In Rites there are Sacrifices, Laments, Military Rites, Visits, and Celebrations. In Punishments there are Beheading, Strangling, Banishment, Penal Servitude, and Flogging. They follow entirely the system of the Great Ming Code.” They said, “What calendar and reign-title does your country use?” I said, “We follow the Great Ming calendar and reign-title.” They said, “What is the reign-title this year?”? I said, “It is the first year of Hung-chih.” They said, “It has not been so long; how do you know it?” I said, “When the Great Light (Ta Ming) first came out of the sea, all nations were brightened. Especially when my country is of the same house as China and pays tribute without fail, how could I not know it?” They said, “Are the caps and gowns of your country the same as those of China?” I said, “In all court and official dress, long gowns and round collars, we follow fully Chinese dress. Only the figured linings and folds are slightly different.” They then ordered me to summon the secondary officials and those below them and have them perform the ceremony as between host and guests. The Overseer and the three eminent persons looked on, talking and laughing. Then they presented to us twenty bushels of rice, one plate of pork, one plate of fish and meat delicacies, one plate of herbs and fruits, and five containers of wine. We thanked them and left. We then got into the boats and went [from P’u-yüan Bridge to Hsi-shan Station).