Father Iakinf Bichurin's last big work gathers, in Russian translation, what the Chinese standard histories from the Shiji onward say about the Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Xianbei, Turks (whom he calls the Dulga house), Uighurs, Tungusic peoples and the western oasis states, with his own historical notes and comparisons with Abu al-Ghazi and European scholars. It is a translation of ancient Chinese court records, not a travel account, and covers roughly the 2nd century BCE to the 10th century CE. This corpus copy is the 1851 St Petersburg edition in three parts.
How they knew
Compiled from others
Who “Tartar” means here
In the Chinese texts 'Tatar' hardly appears. In Bichurin's notes 'Tatar' means Turkic speech (the 'Tatar language') and the Tatars of the Yenisei, and he explains that Persian and Turkic historians called the eastern Mongols 'Tatars' and the northern ones 'Mongols'.
Why read it
It shows what the oldest written records say about the lives of the steppe peoples long before anyone spoke of 'Tartary': no cities, felt tents, mare's milk, and a failed plan to build a Xiongnu town.
Watch out
Bichurin's translations were later criticised for omissions, and he treats the Xiongnu as ancestors of the Mongols, which is disputed. The Chinese sources are an enemy's view.
Editorial contextThe Chinese annals tell how a Chinese defector at the Xiongnu court, Wei Lü, advised the young shanyu to dig wells, build a town and two-storey granaries, and give the grain to Chinese captives to keep. Hundreds of wells were dug and thousands of logs felled, but others argued that the Xiongnu could not defend towns and the grain would only fall to the Chinese, so the plan was dropped. A vivid example of steppe rulers weighing fixed buildings against mobility.
Wei Lü advised the shanyu to dig wells, build a town and two-storey storehouses to keep grain, and to entrust the keeping of the grain to 'Qin Chinese'. Then, even if Chinese troops came, they could do nothing. Several hundred wells had already been dug and several thousand logs cut, when some pointed out that the Xiongnu cannot defend towns
Working translation
Original wording
Вэй Люй подалъ Шаньюю совѣтъ выкопать колодцы, построить городъ и двухъ-этажные магазины для содержанія хлѣба, а храненіе хлѣба поручить Китайцамъ династіи Цинь. Тогда хотя и придутъ китайскія войска, ничего сдѣлать не могутъ. Уже выкопано было нѣсколько сотъ колодцевъ, срублено нѣсколько тысячъ бревенъ, какъ нѣкоторые представили, что Хунны не могутъ защищать городовъ
Chinese dynastic history (Han shu), translated by Iakinf Bichurin, 1851
Editorial contextSima Qian's classic description of the Xiongnu, north of China: herders of horses, cattle and sheep who move with the grass and water, with no cities, no settled life and no farming, though each had his own allotted land. No writing: laws are proclaimed orally. Boys ride sheep and shoot birds; all fighting men are mounted archers. It is the oldest template for Chinese and later European pictures of the steppe nomad.
They move from place to place according to the abundance of grass and water. They have neither cities, nor settled dwelling, nor farming; but each has his allotted piece of land. There is no writing, and laws are proclaimed orally. A boy, as soon as he can sit astride a sheep, shoots little birds and small animals with a bow
Working translation
Original wording
Перекочевываютъ съ мѣста на мѣсто, смотря по приволью въ травѣ и водѣ. Не имѣютъ ни городовъ, ни осѣдлости, ни земледѣлія; но у каждаго есть отдѣленный участокъ земли. Письма нѣтъ, а законы словесно объявляются. Мальчикъ, какъ скоро можетъ верхомъ сидѣть на баранѣ, стрѣляетъ изъ лука пташекъ и звѣрковъ
About Xiongnu (Huns), in Bichurin's view ancestors of the Mongols
Keep in mind
A Chinese court historian writing about an enemy; Bichurin's footnote equates the Xiongnu with the Mongols of his day, a view historians no longer accept.
The Wuhuan: round yurts facing east, meat and kumiss
Editorial contextThe Chinese histories describe the Wuhuan as skilled mounted archers and hunters who move with their herds, with no permanent home, living in round yurts with the door facing east, eating meat, drinking kumiss and wearing coloured woollen cloth. Bichurin's summary treats them as a branch of the 'house of the Tatar khan', the Donghu.
The Wuhuan are skilled at shooting the bow from horseback; they hunt beasts and birds, move with their livestock from place to place according to the supply of grass and water, and know no permanent dwelling. They live in round yurts whose entrance faces east. They eat meat and drink kumiss, and make their clothing of many-coloured woollen fabrics
Working translation
Original wording
Ухуаньцы искусны въ конной стрѣльбѣ изъ лука; занимаются ловлею звѣрей и птицъ, Переходятъ со скотомъ съ мѣста на мѣсто, смотря по достатку въ травѣ и водѣ; постояннаго прибыванія не знаютъ. Живутъ въ круглыхъ юртахъ, изъ коихъ выходъ обращенъ къ востоку. Питаются мясомъ, пьютъ кумысъ; одежду дѣлаютъ изъ разноцвѣтныхъ шерстяныхъ тканей
Chinese dynastic history (Hou Han shu), translated by Iakinf Bichurin, 1851
Editorial contextIn a footnote Bichurin says the word Tungus does not exist in Manchu and no ancient Tungusic ruling house used it. He guesses the Russians took it from the Tatars of the Yenisei, since the Chinese histories say the Tungus peoples bred pigs, still used in shamanic sacrifice, and the Tatar word for pig is 'donguz'. It shows how names for Siberian peoples passed through Tatar speech into Russian.
The word Tungus does not exist in the Manchu language, and none of the ancient Tungusic ruling houses was known by this name. Probably the Russians, when they first reached the Yenisei, borrowed this name from the Yenisei Tatars. … and in the Tatar language a pig is called donguz.
Working translation
Original wording
Слова: Тунгусъ, нѣтъ въ маньчжурскомъ языкѣ: да и ни одинъ изъ древнихъ тунгузскихъ владѣтельныхъ Домовъ не былъ извѣстенъ подъ симъ названіемъ. Вѣроятно, что Русскіе, первоначально достигнувъ Енисея, заимствовали сіе названіе отъ енисейскихъ Татаръ. … а свинья на татарскомъ языкѣ называется Донгусъ.
Bichurin's etymology is a guess; linguists still debate the origin of 'Tungus'.
The scan is too rough to double-check this quote by machine. Compare it with the page.
The fine print
How we know
compilation Assembled from earlier sources. The author did not observe it directly.
retrospective compilation: Russian translation of the Xiongnu, Wusun, Turk, Uighur, Tibetan and Western Regions chapters of the Chinese standard histories (Shiji to Tang shu)
Research notes
Translations later criticised (Taskin) for omissions; still the base for Russian steppe historiography.
Why it matters
Russian counterpart to the Han and Tang texts inventoried in English (W102-W104, W109); composition completed before 1851 so eligible; the standard Russian reference for steppe ethnonyms.