European adventurers have greatly contributed to the development of Europe in ancient and modern times; Europe's new shipping routes to the East and the New World of america were opened up by European adventurers with a long time and a life that did not fear death. Although European adventurers explored various places because of the development of the European commodity economy, the spread of Catholicism, the Europeans' pursuit of gold and silver and other interests, and the progress of astronomical and maritime knowledge, this does not negate their strength, merit and achievement. Europe's great adventurers are numerous, and they are active on the eve of the world's modern history, leaving a strong mark. And is there such a big adventurer in China? Most Chinese and Europeans think there is none, that they did not exist in China before the fall of the Qing Dynasty. I have not read the history books and looked into the history books in depth, and I think that the footsteps of the Chinese have not advanced far under the shackles of Confucian culture and feudal dynasties. But this is not the case.
Du Huan, a Tang Dynasty traveler, was born in the Du clan of shijingzhao, a politician and historian, and a nephew of the poet Du Fu. Du Huan's life is more legendary than that of Zhang Xiao, who pioneered the Silk Road, and he transformed from a prisoner of war into an adventurer in a foreign country. In the tenth year of Tang Tianbao, in 751 AD, Du Huan, in an unknown capacity (should be a translator scribe), followed the famous general Gao Xianzhi of the Four Towns of Anxi to participate in the Battle of Qiluo. On the other side of the Battle of Theros was the Great Eclipse (Arab Empire), during which DuHuan was accidentally captured, and it happened that the Arab soldiers who captured him at that time were Persians who feared the noble race.
Jingzhao Du clan is a Gaomen family, and Duhuan, who was born in Jingzhao Du clan, is naturally a noble species. Du Huan was highly eloquent and knew a little foreign language, so the Arab army did not oppress and humiliate him, but treated him as a distinguished guest, and it is said that Du Huan entered the elite legion as an aristocratic officer (which was nothing at that time, that is, the Arab Empire). Du Huan did not rush back to the Tang Dynasty, but took this opportunity to learn about foreign civilizations, and from 751 to 762 AD, Du Huan traveled almost all over the land of the Black-clad Great Food (Abbasid Dynasty), and then traveled to the land outside the Abbasid Dynasty.
At that time, the big cities of Central Asia, West Asia, and North Africa, Duhuan, were basically visited. For example, Samarkand, the Maghreb, Damascus, Morocco, Jerusalem, Axum, Somalia and other places. Du Huan traveled all over the Asian and African continents, and finally boarded a ship from Somalia and went all the way east to the port of Guangzhou in datang, where he later wrote a book on his travels, "The Record of Economics and Travels". The book has been lost, and only a part of the content quoted in the General Canon has been preserved, which has made many foreigners who have learned about this history lament the breadth of the footprints of the Chinese during the Tang Dynasty. Du Huan was Zheng He, who preceded the Western Ocean, and became the first Chinese to visit Africa.
Du Huan's book "Jing xing ji" records the teachings of Islam, the history, humanities, geography, religion, customs, etc. of several countries in Asia and Africa, and also mentions craniotomy; to a certain extent, this book helped the Tang Dynasty at that time to recognize civilization outside itself, and also prompted the Tang Dynasty to send emissaries to the Great Food and alliance, and united to attack the Tubo Dynasty from time to time. It should have been unsuccessful, or ineffective, after all, the Caliphs of the Abbasid dynasty and the princes and nobles (the supreme ruler of the Great Food) were not stupid, and the most fertile and best land was in their own hands, so why bother to provoke the poor, poor and bitter Tubo.
An excerpt from the "Book of The Classics" is taken into account:
"The Kingdom of Fu is in the west of the Kingdom of Feng, thousands of miles away from the mountains, also known as Great Qin. Its color is red and white, the men are dressed in plain clothes, and the women are dressed in pearl brocade. The royal city is eighty miles on all sides, and the land on all four sides is tens of miles. There are about a million victorious soldiers, and they are often at odds with the great food. Its Great Qin Good Doctor eye and diarrhea, or pre-existing disease, or open brain hemorrhage. ”
In the long course of history, Du Huan is a small person, a small person whose deeds are not recorded too much in the history books, but from the perspective of modern history and world history, Du Huan's achievements are higher and greater than those princes in the annals of history, because he fills part of the gap in Chinese history.