| The Land of Fu-sang |
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| Fu-sang was visited some 3 millenia ago by the Chinese monk Hui-Shen, in 459 A.D. It is likely that Fu-sang consisted of the entire West Coast of North America, as well as some of the interior parts of northern Mexico and the southwestern U.S. Many scholars remain skeptical of legends such as that of China's Hui-Shen and Leif Ericson, though the discovery of the latter's settlement recently has lended weight to Leif's story. Below is an excerpt of the description in the Liang Shu and in Volume 231 of the Great Chinese Encyclopedia compiled by China's Ma Tuan-Lin. |
Fusang
Fu-sang lies east of the Kingdom of Ta-han
more than twenty thousand li; it is also east of Middle Kingdom [China]. It
produces many fu-sang trees, from which it derives its name. The leaves of the
fu-sang resemble those of the tung tree. It sprouts forth like the bamboo, and
the people eat the shoots. Its fruit resembles the pear, but is red; the bark is
spun into cloth for dresses, and woven into brocade. The houses are made of
planks. There are no walled cities with gates. The (people) use characters and
writing, making paper from the bark of the fu-sang. There are no mailed
soldiers, for they do not carry on war. The law of the land prescribes a
southern and a northern prison. Criminals convicted of light crimes are put into
the former, and those guilty of grievous offences into the latter. Criminals,
when pardoned, are let out of the southern prison; but those in the northern
prison are not pardoned.