A Chinese Tract in Tangut Translation (Or.12380/2579)

Abstract

During his third Central Asian expedition, in 1914 Sir Aurel Stein (1862–1943) visited the dead city of Khara-khoto in the Etsin-gol region (modern-day Ningxia province) which had already been explored earlier by the Russian explorer Pyotr K. Kozlov (1863–1935). Although Kozlov conducted excavations at the site on two separate occasions (1908 and 1909), Stein’s extensive experience in archaeological work and his meticulous attention to details allowed him to also secure a sizeable collection. Stein’s acquisitions were deposited at the British Museum from where the manuscripts and printed texts were later transferred to the newly established British Library. In terms of its size and significance, the Tangut material at the British Library is second only to the Kozlov collection in St. Petersburg which is currently held at the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts. Although the majority of surviving Tangut texts are Buddhist sutras and commentaries, there are also many secular texts, including historical writings, dictionaries, military treatises, encyclopedias, medical works and administrative documents. Among the secular texts in the British Library are translations of the Xiaojing 孝經 and fragments of several Chinese works on military strategy, such as the Sunzi 孫子, Jiangyuan 將苑 and Liutao 六韜.