La terra dell’antico Jiaozhou raccontata da Wang Dayuan

The Daoyi zhilüe 島夷志略 (Treatise on the Island Barbarians, 1349-50), written by Yuan dynasty traveller Wang Dayuan 汪大淵 (c. 1310-?), provides valuable insights into the places he visited during his two voyages to the West. This geographical work describes the weather, geography, people, products, and customs of ninety-nine places supposedly visited by the author, establishing it as an important source of information about the world of the 14th century. The section on Jiaozhi describes a country once located near present-day Hanoi and influenced by the Chinese empire for centuries. It is particularly intriguing due to its detailed depiction of the people and their way of living, their customs, traditions, and products. In this paper, the description of the “land of the ancient Jiaozhou” will be translated into Italian and briefly analysed, highlighting some peculiarities of the seventh section of the Daoyi zhilüe.