Nanfang Caomu Zhuang

The (c. 304 CE) ''Nanfang caomu zhuang'' (南方草木狀 ''Plants of the Southern Regions''), attributed to the Western Jin dynasty scholar and botanist Ji Han (嵇含, 263-307), is a Flora describing the plants of Nanyue and Jiaozhi, present-day South China and northern Vietnam. The ''Nanfang caomu zhuang'' is the oldest work extant in any language on subtropical botany. The book contains the first descriptions of several economic plants, for instance jasmine and black pepper, as well as the earliest accounts of some agricultural techniques such as biological pest control (using "citrus ants" to protect orange crops), and the cultivation of vegetables on floating gardens (centuries before the earliest recorded Mesoamerican ''chinampa'').

Since 1273, when the ''Nanfang caomu zhuang'' was first printed in the Song dynasty, it was frequently quoted by Chinese authors, both in literature and technical books on horticulture, agriculture, and Chinese herbology. Since the 19th century (e.g., Hirth and Bretschneider, many Western sinologists, botanists, and historians of plant cultivation have studied it.

Ji Han

The ''Nanfang caomu zhuang'' author Ji Han was "one of the greatest of all Chinese botanists".

The primary source of information about Ji Han's life is the ''Book of Jin'' biography of his uncle Ji Shao (嵇紹), who was the son of the poet-musician Ji Kang (23–262), one of the Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove. Ji Han was born in 263 in Zhixian (銍縣, in present-day Anhui province). His courtesy name was Jun Dao (君道 "Gentleman's Way"), and his pen name Boqiuzi (亳丘子 "Master of Boqiu") refers to his residence at Boqiu (present-day Henan) near the capital Luoyang. He served as a scholar-administrator and poet on the staff of several princes.

In 300, during the War of the Eight Princes, Ji Han was a military commander under the future Emperor Huai of Jin (r. 307-313), whose army suffered a defeat at Tangyin (蕩陰), in which his uncle Ji Shao was killed protecting the emperor. Ji Han was made prefect of Xiangcheng in 304, but when it was conquered, he had to escape south to Xiangyang (present-day Hebei), and at the recommendation of the official Liu Hong (劉弘), he was appointed governor of Guangdong in 306. However, before he could leave, Ji Han was assassinated at Xiangyang in 307 after Liu Hong's death. When Ji Han was made Governor, he appointed his friend Ge Hong, the alchemist and author of the '' Shenxian zhuan'' and ''Baopuzi'', as aide-de-camp. Ge Hong went to Guangdong ahead of Ji, and remained there afterwards for several years, probably because he was interested in the exotic plants and unusual mineral substances of the south.

In addition to writing the ''Nanfang caomu zhuang'', the "first botanical treatise of all time", Ji Han was a prolific poet, particularly '' fu'' "rhapsody; poetic exposition", and deeply interested in botany. While most of his ten-volume collected works were lost, later texts quote the prefaces to Ji's poetical ''fu'' essays on the daylily, hibiscus, ''Platycarya'' tree, evergreen tree, and sweet melon. Ji Han also wrote a ''fu'' on the fashionable "Cold-Food Powder" mixture of mineral and plant drugs, which says "it cured his ailing son when other treatments had failed".

Title

The title uses three common Chinese words.
*''Nánfāng'' (南方, lit. "south direction/region") "south; southern part of a country"
*''Cǎomù'' (草木, lit. grass/herb ndtree") "vegetation; plants (in general)"
*''Zhuàng'' (狀) "form, shape; state, condition; account, record; description, narrative"

The title ''Nanfang caomu zhuang'' does not have a standard English translation. For instance, the ''Science and Civilisation in China'' series of books, edited by Joseph Needham and his international collaborators, gives six variant versions.
*"Plants and Trees of the Southern Regions"
*"Records of the Plants and Trees of the Southern Regions"
*"Prospect of the Plants and Trees of the Southern Regions"
*"Appearances of Plants and Trees in the Southern Regions"
*"Herbs and Trees of the South"
*"Flora of the South"

Content

The ''Nanfang caomu zhuang'' text is divided into three chapters, with a total of 80 botanical entries. The first (''cǎolèi'' 草類 "Herbs", 1-29) consists of 29 herbs and plants, the second (''mùlèi'' 木類 "Trees", 30-57) 28 forest trees, and the third consists of (''guǒlèi'' 果類 "Fruits", 58-74) 17 fruit trees, and (''zhúlèi'' 竹類 "Bamboos", 75-80) 6 bamboos.

The Preface explains Ji Han's motive in writing the book.

The plants of Nan-yueh and Chiao-chih are the most interesting of the four borderlands. They were not known before the Chou and Ch'in dynasties. Since the expansion territories undertaken by Wu Ti of Han, the rare and precious kinds were sought and brought in and the best were used as tributes. As people of the central regions hinaare often unfamiliar with their nature, I hereby record and describe these from what I have heard for the benefit of future generations.

The ancient kingdom of Nanyue ("southern Yue") was located in parts of the present-day Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan; Jiaozhi was in northern Vietnam. The pre-Han dynasties were the Zhou (c. 1046–256 BCE) and Qin (221–206 BCE). Emperor Wu of Han (r. 141–87 BCE) led the Southward expansion of the Han dynasty.

Among six proposed categories of Chinese authors who wrote botanical books, Ji Han and the exotic botanical ''Nanfang caomu zhuiang'' exemplify the first, "scholar-officials, physicians and others whose duties took them to those places within or on the borders of the empire where special plants flourished".

Genre

The ''Nanfang caomu zhuang'' is considered the type-specimen for the "strange plants of the south" genre of Chinese botanical writings. Within the traditional Sinocentric world-view, China's "south" (''nan'' 南) referred to the seaward-facing regions of present-day Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan provinces, all subtropical or tropical in climate are distinctly separate from the rest of China, which is borne out by their affiliation to a different floristic