CHAP. III.] CEYLON AS KNOWN TO THE CHINESE. 



611 



The ideas of the Chinese regarding the mythical 

 period of Singhalese history, and the first peopling of 

 the island, are embodied in a very few sentences which 

 are repeated throughout the series of authors, and with 

 which we are made familiar in the following passage 

 from FA HIAN : " Sze-tseu-kwo, the kingdom of 

 lions *, was inhabited originally not by men but by de- 

 mons and dragons. 2 Merchants were attracted to the 

 island, by the prospect of trade ; but the demons re- 

 mained unseen, merely exposing the precious articles 

 which they wished to barter : with a price marked for 

 each, at which the foreign traders were at liberty to 

 take them, depositing the equivalents indicated in ex- 

 change. From the resort of these dealers, the inhabi- 

 tants of other countries, hearing of the attractions of 

 the island, resorted to it in large numbers, and thus 

 eventually a great kingdom was formed." 3 



The Chinese were aware of two separate races, one 

 occupying the northern and the other the southern ex- 

 tremity of the island, and were struck with the resem- 

 blance of the Tamils to the Hoo, a people of Central 

 Asia, and of the Singhalese to the Leaou, a mountain 

 tribe of Western China. 4 The latter they describe as 

 having "large ears, long eyes, purple faces, black 

 bodies, moist and strong hands and feet, and living to 

 one hundred years and upwards. 5 Their hair was worn 

 long and flowing, not only by the women but by the 

 In these details there are particulars that 



men. 



1 Wan-heenlung-kaou,\). cccxxxviii. 

 p. 24 



2 The Yakkhos and Nag-as (" devils" 

 and " serpents ") of the Mahaicamo. 



3 Foe-koue-ki, ch. xxxviii. p. 

 333. Transl. REMUSAT. This ac- 

 count of Ceylon is repeated almost 

 verbatim in the Tung-teen, and in nu- 

 merous other Chinese works, with the 

 addition that-the newly-formed king- 

 dom of Sinhala, " Sze-tseu-kwo," 

 took its name from the " skill of the 

 natives in training lions." B. cxciii. 



pp. 8, 9 ; Toe-ping, b. dccxciii. p. 9 ; 

 Sin- Tang-shoo, b. cxlvi. part ii. p. 

 10. A very accurate translation of 

 the passage as it is given by MA- 

 TOFAN-mr is published by M. 

 Stanislas Julien in the Jotirn. Asiat. 

 for July, 1836, torn. xxix. p. 36. 



* Too-Hiouen, quoted in the Tuny- 

 teen, b. cxciii. p. 8. 



5 Taou-e che-leo, quoted in the 

 Hac-l'ico-too die, or " Foreign Geo- 

 graphy," b. xviii. p. 15. 



