Irano-Sinica — The Square Bamboo, Silk 537 



It is said to occur also in the prefecture of Teh-cou $£ 4H, San-tun 

 Province, where it is likewise made into walking-sticks. 1 The latter 

 being much in demand by Buddhist monks, the bamboo has received 

 the epithet "Lo-han bamboo" (bamboo of the Arhat). 2 



It is perfectly manifest that what was exported from Se-6'wan by 

 way of Yun-nan into India, and thence forwarded to Bactria, was the 

 square bamboo in the form of walking-canes. India is immensely rich 

 in bamboos; and only a peculiar variety, which did not exist in India, 

 could have compensated for the trouble and cost which this long and 

 wearisome trade-route must have caused in those days. For years, I 

 must confess, it has been a source of wonder to me why Se-c'wan bamboo 

 should have been carried as far as Bactria, until I encountered the text 

 of the Pet hu lu, which gives a satisfactory solution of the problem. 3 



2. The most important article by which the Chinese became] 

 famously known in ancient times, of course, was silk. This subject is so 

 extensive, and has so frequently been treated in special monographs, 

 that it does not require recapitulation in this place. I shall only recall 

 the fact that the Chinese silk materials, after traversing Central Asia, 

 reached the Iranian Parthians, who acted as mediators in this trade 

 with the anterior Orient .^\It is assumed that the introduction of seri- 

 culture into Persia, especially into Gilan, where it still flourishes, falls 

 in the latter part of the Sasanian epoch. It is very probable that the 

 acquaintance of the Khotanese with the rearing of silkworms, introduced 

 by a Chinese princess in a.d. 419, gave the impetus to a further growth 

 of this new industry in a western direction, gradually spreading to 

 Yarkand, Fergana, and Persia. 5 Chinese brocade (diba-i llri) is fre- --'*"' 

 quently mentioned by FirdausI as playing a prominent part in Persian 

 decorations. 6 He also speaks of a very fine and decorated Chinese silk 

 under the name parniyan, corresponding to Middle Persian parntkan? 

 Iranian has a peculiar word for "silk," not yet satisfactorily explained: 

 Pahlavi *apresum, *aparesum; New Persian abre*>urn, abreiam (Arme- 



1 San tun t'un li, Ch. 9, p. 6. 



2 See K'ien Su 3^ ilF, Ch. 4, p. 7 b (in Yue ya fan ts'un Su, t'ao 24) and Su K'ien 

 hi, Ch. 7, p. 2 b (ibid.). Cf. also tu p'u sian lu 1t Wt f£ £&. written by Li K'an 

 ^ ffX "! I2 99 (Ch. 4, p. I b; ed. of Ci pu tsu lai ts'un Su). 



3 The speculations of J. Marquart (Eransahr, pp. 319-320) in regard to this 

 bamboo necessarily fall to the ground. There is no misunderstanding on the part 

 of Can K'ien, and the account of the Si ki is perfectly correct and clear. 



* Hirth, Chinesische Studien, p. 10. 



5 Spiegel, Eranische Altertumskunde, Vol. I, p. 256. 



6 J. J. Modi, Asiatic Papers, p. 254 (Bombay, 1905). 



7 HtJBSCHMANN, Persische Studien, p. 242. 



