Fan Chuo (; previously romanized as ''Fan Ch'e'' and ''Fan Zhuo'') (??? – late 9th century) was a secretary working under the Jiedu () (similar to the Byzantine thema) with headquarters located at

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

. Since the thema was a front of the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

against

Nanzhao Nanzhao (, also spelled Nanchao, ) was a dynastic kingdom that flourished in what is now southern China and northern Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuries. It was centered on present-day Yunnan in China. History Origins Nanzha ...

, he was able to get his hands on the updated diplomatic and military documents of the two countries. He also lived in Hanoi during his first tenure; therefore he knew some firsthand information of the city, such as trades, deployments, population, etc. As the Nanzhao army sacked the city for the first time, he just escaped from being captured by jumping into the Red River and swimming to the opposite bank. Then he worked under another Jie-du located at

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

where he compiled the first draft of ''Manshu'' (; roughly means ''the book on the southern tribes''). He also worked a second tenure in Hanoi where he finished the book in 862 CE. He died in Guangzhou after retirement. His book ''Manshu'' is an invaluable source of the Tang-Nanzhao relation and for anthropological research of

Hmong Hmong may refer to: * Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand * Hmong cuisine * Hmong customs and culture ** Hmong music ** Hmong textile art * Hmong language, a continuum of closely related ton ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

during the later years of the Tang Dynasty. For instance, his eyewitness account on the siege of Hanoi was monumental.

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, Wikisource:Translation:Manshu and French translations are also available.

References

Tang dynasty politicians Tang dynasty writers Chinese travel writers 9th-century deaths Year of birth unknown Medieval travel writers {{China-diplomat-stub

See also

References