Zhou Qufei’s work and his historical value

This paper will introduce Western scholars to the geographical work, Lingwai Daida, Notes from the lands beyond the Passes, written by Zhou Qufei in 1178. Zhou Qufei was an imperial official during the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279). He lived and worked many years in Guangxi province. His work contains descriptions of geography, history and customs of Guangxi province and it includes descriptions of oversea territories, until Northern Africa countries. In this paper, first, the author will try to define which versions are available nowadays, then you will focus on the work’s structure and its main features, in the end, the search will lead us to compare Zhou’s work and Fan Chengda’s Guihai yuheng zhi (On Guihai rural affairs). Fan Chengda (1126-1193) was a poet and an imperial official of Song dynasty, He was considered an academic authority in geography, especially of southern provinces of China. The main aim of the present paper is to underline the importance and the historical value of Daida, in the framework of overseas relationships of Chinese empire.