HISTOIUCAL NOTK. 5 



;us a garden flower M t'u- eastward as Persia, while its medical applications 

 were made l>y iln- (Jreeks.* 



In the times of the Caliphs the Arabs began to visit China.t especially after ThpArabgin 

 the found ing of P.aghdad, A.D. 7G3, and became traders in drugs, precious stones, 

 brocades. rose \\ater. and such things. Previous to the T'ANG dynasty the Poppy 

 ippaivntlv unknown to the Chinese botanists and physicians, and when it was 

 brought to them their attention was drawn to the fonn of the heads which enclosed 

 the seeds, then used in making a soporiferous decoction according to the directions 

 of the Arab doctors; consequently they invented names for it, based on the appear- 

 ance of the I'oppy heads. The seeds looked like millet seeds, if not in colour, at 

 least in shape, and therefore they called the heads mi-nang (% JK), " millet bags." 



The early arrival of Arabs by sea at Canton may be illustrated by the The Arabs at 



J J J Canton. 



following extract from the Pan-yii-hsien-chih ($= $ H jg) : " In the T'ANG dynasty, 

 on occasion of the opening of trade with Foreign ships, the Mahommedan King 

 MAHOMET sent his mother's brother from Western countries to China to trade. He 

 built a toml) and monastery, called respectively Chien-kuang-t'a (& 3k $J) and Huai- 

 x/n'iig-ssii (ft 3? ^). Soon after the monastery was completed he died, and was buried 

 in the tomb [still existing outside the North Gate], in accordance with his intention." 



3. 



In the reiom of T'ANG MING HUANG, in the first half of the eighth century, Fint mention of 



cultivation ..f the 



an author named CH'N TS'ANG-CH'I (ftf. ft S), in a work which he calls A Suppk- |, > ^ 

 mn,t to tff I'>'n-ts l ao (* | & if), quotes from an earlier writer, SUNG YANG-TZO c 

 ( 1% ?), a statement that " The Poppy has four petals. It is white and red. 

 Above them is a pale red rim. The seeds are in a bag, which is like one of those 

 aiT'i\\ --heads which have air-holes to make a sound as the arrow cuts through the 

 air. Within there are seeds like those of millet." 



* Opium is lso mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud (seventh century), Aboda Zarah, ii, 40 (ophy6n, ^VfllK ' 

 w being dangerous medicine. : 



+ China in the parly HAS dynasty opened Foreign trade by way of Cochin China. Tndcr ! \\"KI ilynnsty 

 international trade was established at certain points on the border between North and South China. In the > 

 dynasty, A.D. 971, a Superintendent was appointed at Canton, Hangrhow, and Ningpo, to overlook Foreign trade. 

 Karlier than this we read of an officer called $hih-po-itH (iff |& p]), appointed to Canton to superintend Foreign 

 tr.ide, as the title implies. This was in the T'ANO dynasty. 



