La biografia di Zhou Qufei: un tentativo di ricostruzione

Zhou Qufei was an imperial official during the Southern Song dynasty (11 27-1279). He lived many years in Guangxi province and in 1178 he wrote a geographical work, titled Lingwai Daida (Answers about territories beyond Lingnan). This manuscript contains descriptions of geography, history and customs of Guangxi province and it includes descriptions of oversea territories, until Northern Africa countries. The attempt to reconstruct Zhou Qufei’s biography stems from the need to fully understand the context in which he produced his work. From his biographical reconstruction came to light that the experiences he made in Guangxi allowed Zhou to compile a richer and more detailed work. In addition to previous historical Chinese sources, due to his relationships with foreign merchants, travelers and sailors, living in Guilin, he was able to supply more information regarding the Western territories.