From: stlin@stevelin.Eng.Sun.COM (Steven Lin)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.china,soc.culture.taiwan,soc.culture.japan
Subject: Hus Fu and the Japanese
Date: 23 Dec 1992 19:35:16 GMT
Organization: Sun
NNTP-Posting-Host: stevelin


It is interesting question about where did the Japanese come from.
Japanese scholars tend to deny their connection with China and Chinese.
As well as some other race, people like to claim the vague relationship
with white people. KAL described in airplane brochure: Though Korea is
located between China and Japan, Korean people have no relation with
Chinese and Japanese. ..............

I have heard many stories about Hsu Fu directly and indirectly from the
people who stayed in Japan for many years, mainlanders and Taiwanese.
I just found my collection article that was posted on WJ on Dec. 5, 1991,
by a mainland scholar, about Hsu Fu and Hsu Fu village in North Jianxu.

The author was in a trip of official business to Gang-yu County of Jiangxu.
He was told by the local people there is a Hsu Fu village in the north of
the county, at the border of Shangdong. Later the author had been in that
village many times with the local Ling-dao, so he has collected much first
hand valuable information. The author then started to checked with the
Chinese historical writings. The "Shi Gee" written by Shi Ma-Chien has 
pretty much information matched with the story that common people in the
Hsu Fu village like to talk about. Also there are many historical items
left over thousand years supporting the story.

The author published his research about Hsu Fu on "Guang-Ming Daily" on
April 4, 1984, that was quotated by Ashahi Daily of Japan later. On the
same research, the author published a book which was printed by Tokyo
Book Publication Company in August of 1988.

The author found that Hsu Fu had been in Japan many times and very familiar
with the the sailing routes and weather before he presented his idea to
the emperor of Qin. He was a thoughtful man, mainly tried to save Chinese
people from ruin by the tyrant. What he requested was 3000 young males and
females to serve god in the east sea. Those people were well trained in 
life skills and perhaps better educated in order to "serve god", so that
the god will give life prolong medicine to the emperor. 

In fact, as I was told by many older people many times, those young people
were told not to come back once they had landed in the island. They were
told to oberve sympton of the sky change as well as sun activity, and learn 
the "bird language (name of foundation Japanese)". Many years later, their
children were no longer able to speak original language and apprently they 
also forgot to write Chinese partially or completely.

The author also reported that though the Japanese tend to deny the fact.
There are many common Japanese people know the story in Fu-Gang and the
harbor of Bo-dou where was the port Hsu Fu and his fellows landed. After
the author's research paper published in Japan, the author reported that
many Japanese people had come to Hsu-chow to search their roots year by
year via the culture exchange program. In the April of 1991, there were
more than 4 thousand of Japanese including some scholars came to Hsu-chow
to attend the Hsu Fu festival.