A visitor in ancient China
An arrogant "tourist" in the Zhou capital during the Warring States period.

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The following story is from an ancient Chinese book called the Records of the Warring States (Zhanguoce). The Warring States period in Chinese history lasted from 499 BC to 221 BC. In 221 BC, Qin, one of the seven biggest states managed to conquer all other states and establish a unified empire. The Qin king declared himself the First Emperor. In this story there is an account of a visitor coming to the Zhou capital. At this time the Zhou king was nominally in control over all the states. A page from the work Zhanguoce (Records of the Warring States)

A man from the city of Wen came to the Zhou capital but the Zhou people did not let him in. He was asked whether he was a visitor and he said, "I belong here." They asked him about the people of his village but nobody knew them. Therefore, the gate-keeper detained him. The ruler sent a man with a message to him, saying "You are not from Zhou but deny that you are a visitor. Why?" He replied, "When I was a child, we recited the Book of Songs. One song said, Under the whole wide heaven, All is the king's land. Within the sea-boundaries of the land, All are the king's servants. Now the state of Zhou controls the world and therefore I am the subject of the Zhou king. How could I be a visitor? This is why I say that I belong here." The ruler thus made the gate-keeper to release him. Translated by Imre Galambos, 2000 © 2000 Logoi.com - All Rights Reserved