QUOTE (Doan Du @ Sep 3 2004, 09:48 AM)
That's not the only contribution that Vietnamese gave to China. Here is what Chinese history says.
There were also 20,000 Annamese highly skilled craftsmen who were forcibly brought to Beijing to do construction work after the Ming defeated the Vietnamese dynasty of Ho quy Ly. Timber from Northern Vietnam were imported for construction material.
That caused an Annamese landowner named Le Loi to revolt. The struggle against the Ming lasted for twenty years and Le Loi finally routed the last Ming fortress at Xuong Giang in 1427. (Jung-Pan Lo, "Intervention in Vietnam: A case study of the Foreign Policy of the Early Ming government," Tsing Hua Journal of Chinese Studies, new series 7, 2 (1969))
In the Ming conquest of the Ho dynasty in 1407, the Ming acquired from the Vietnamese a weapon called shen qiang, shen qiang jian or shenji huaqiang, meaning literally "magic fire-lance arrow". It was a fire-lance, but better than its Chinese counterpart due to one unique feature: It had a heavy wooden wad (mu ma zi in Chinese) made of ironwood to increase pressure within the barrel. The arrow could therefore be shot as far as 400 paces. It can be imagined that the Vietnamese employed this indigenous resource to invent the wooden wad in order to increase the range of the fire-lance. This technique was adopted in China for handguns by 1415, as a Ming handgun made in this year had a wooden wad between gunpowder and "bullets", while the handguns prior to this time did not have this salient feature.
Moreover, the igniting device of the handguns made at least from 1410 on was improved in that, instead of a small hole where a fuse was inserted, now a rectangular slot with lid was added on the rear part of the barrel. Thus it became more convenient to ignite the gunpowder in the slot and the lid could prevent the gunpowder and fuse from getting wet in rainy days. It has been positively identified as a Vietnamese invention to counter the tropical climate of Southeast Asia where humidity and long rainy seasons are a part of life.
Upon the order of Yongle Emperor, Vietnamese captives who were good at making firearms such as handguns and cannons (huo chong), short lance (duanqian) and fire-lance (shenjian), and gunpowder were sent to the Chinese capital of Nanjing with many other kinds of craftsmen. Altogether, 28,000 were taken captive to China. This included Ho nguyen Trung ("Li Cheng" in Chinese). The Vietnamese chronicle specifically mentions that in 1407 Nguyen Trung made firearms and warships to combat the invading Chinese. The fact that Nguyen Trung as the "Left Grand Councilor" (zuo xiangguo in Chinese) was skilled in making firearms shows the importance Dai Viet attached to gunpowder technology and the intense competition between Dai Viet and its neighbor, primarily China and Champa. Also interestingly, it was this expertise that changed Nguyen Trung's life in China, as after having captured to Nanjing Nguyen Trung's father's Ho quy Ly and brother Ho han Thuong - two kings of the Ho dynasty - were thrown in jail, but Nguyen Trung was pardoned and allowed to serve in the Ming Ministry of Works due to his skills. He took charge of manufacturing firearms and gunpowder at the weapon manufacturing bureau (Bingzhangju) and was eventually promoted to the Minister of Works. He played a very important role in establishing the Firearms Battalion in Ming China. According to official Chinese account, receiving the order to accompany the Yongle Emperor to attack the Mongols on the north frontier, three Vietnamese including Nguyen Trung set up the Firearms Battalion prior to 1412. At least one of them (other than Nguyen trung) participated in the campaign and died soon afterwards on June 9, 1412.
According to other Chinese records, when the Ming court held a ceremony for the "God of Firearms" they also offered a sacrifice to Ho Nguyen Trung. Upon his death at the age of seventy three, his son replaced him and continued to manufacture firearms for the Ming until he retired aged seventy in 1470. Up to 1489, the descendents of these Vietnamese craftsmen were still in the service of the Ming. In addition to the fire-lance and ignition device, a bow called "Vietnamese bow" (Jiaozhi gong) also spread to Ming China around this time or earlier.
The abovementioned Vietnamese techniques were used widely and had some implication for the Ming military. During the early Hongzhi reign (1488-1505) 30,000 linden and 90,000 sandalwood wooden wads were manufactured. Another kind of hard wood was sent from Vietnam as tribute to the capital for the manufacture of fire-lances. The wooden wad technique was still used even after the arrival of Portuguese firearms in China in the late sixteenth century, as was the new ignition device. The establisment of the Firearms Battalion, to which the Vietnamese contributed both personel and techniques, proved effective and sometimes crucial in Ming China's fighting with the Mongols. In 1414, Yongle and his armies were surrounded by Mongols, it was firearms with Vietnamese technical features that helped the Ming troops break the siege. The effectiveness of the firearms in this event impressed the Koreans, as they recorded it in their veritable record of the Yi (Choson) dynasty.
The Vietnamese fire-lance was also put into good use. Chinese sources specifically state when the Yongle Emperor fought the Mongols, "they just got the fire-lance from Annam; one barbarian (lu) marched straight forward, and two followed; they were all hit by the fire-lance and died." Teng Zhao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War during the reign of Chenghua (1465-1487) commented: "We basically rely on the fire-lance to defeat the ennemies and win victories. From Yongle (1403-1424) to Xuangde (1426-1435), the fire-lance was properly drilled and was most feared by the barbarians (luzei, or the Mongols). IN 1449, after the Ming suffered the Tumu debacle, more 28,000 handguns and 440,000 fire lances were collected from the battle scene.
Sources:
Wang Ao, Zhenze jiwen (Notes of Wang Ao), in Shen Yunlong, ed., Ming Qing shiliao huibian, series one, book 3 (Taibei: Wenhai Chubanshe, 1967), vol. 1 15a.
Ming shilu leizuan-junshi shiliao juan (Categorical compilation of the Ming shilu -- the volume of historical sources on military affairs) (Wuhan: Wuhan Chubanshe, 1993), pp. 88-186; Wada Sei, trans. by Pan Shixian, Ming dai Menggu shi lun ji (Collection of essays on the history of the Mongols during the Ming dynasty) (Beijing: Shangwu Yinshuguan, 1984), vol. 1, pp. 66, 68.
Ming shilu, "Xianzong," vol. 168, quoted in Zhang, "Mingdai Jiaozhi ren zai," p. 57.
Qiu Jun, Daxua yanyi bu (Supplements to the Daxue yanyi) (Reprint, 1971), vol 122, pp. 11b-12a; Yan, Shuyu, 183, 243; Hui LU, Ping pi baijin fang (The washerman's precious salve) (Reprint, c. 1844), vol. 4, p. 32b; Zhang Xiumin, "Mingdai Jiaozhi ren zai Zhongguo zhi gongxian" (Contributions by the Vietnamese people in China during the Ming dynasty), in Zhang Xiumin, Zhong Yue guanxi shi lunwenji (Collection of articles on Sino-Vietnamese relations) (Taibei; Wenshizhe Chubanshe, 1992), pp. 55-57.
so vietnamese are slaves??
hahah..
