Analysis of the Time of Zhu Ying and Kang Tai's Serving as Diplomatic Envoys to Funan

Abstract

As an epoch-making event in the history of friendship between China and Kampuchea, Zhu Ying and Kang Tai's serving as diplomatic envoys to Funan took place in the 3rd century AD. Yet, exactly in what year of that century, there have been many different opinions both in China and in the other countries.Prof. Sugimoto asserts that Zhu “Congshi” and Kang “Zhonglang” were sent by Lu Dai, governor of Kaozhou in the kingdom Wu, and that the king they met in Funan was Fan Zhan. Thus he infers that the time of this diplomatic mission was the first year of Huanglong (229 AD). Prof. Watabe holds an opinion that the king whom Zhu and Kang met in Funan was Fan Xun and there the two met two envoys from India, Chen and Song, who were then staying in Funan. For this reason, he judges that the time of Zhu and Kang's mission must be between 243 and 252 AD.In the “Biography of Lu Dai in the History of the Three Kingdoms”, it was not clearly pointed out who was the “Congshi”, an official position, also nothing about “Zhonglang”, an official position, was mentioned. But in the “Commentaries of Hainan in the Book of Liang”, it was clearly recorded that the envoy which Shun Quan, king of Wu, sent to the south for the propaganda for his country was “Congshi” Zhu Ying and “Zhonglang” Kang Tai. It is hard to regard what the two books recorded as one event. And “Zhonglang”, the official position, is in the central government. The local governor had no right to dispatch “Zhonglang”. The event was so clearly written that it couldn't be confused. There was description about Zhu and Kang's diplomatic mission to Xun's kingdom in the “Commentaries of Funan in the Book of Liang”. And Zhu and Kang's mission also provides some appropriate proofs. Therefore, it can be considered that the king they met was Fan Xun. Since there was an account that Fan Zhan, king of Funan, dispatched envoys to send musicians and local specialities in the sixth year of Chiwu 243 AD. in “Wu's Chronicles from History of the Three Kingdoms”, the time of Zhu and Kang's serving as diplomatic envoys could only be after 243 AD, because at that time Fan Zhan was still on the throne. So the king was not yet Fan Xun whom they met. Shun Quan died in the second year of Tai-yuan, 252 A D. The time of his sending of Zhu and Kang abroad could not be later than 252 AD. Considering the description in the “Commentaries of Zhuyi in the Book of Liang” that Zhu and Kang met the two Indian envoys Chen and Song who were then visiting Funan and calculating years, the latest time limit could even be pushed back to 247 AD.To summerize, my opinion on the question is that the time of Zhu and Kang's serving as diplomatic envoys to Funan should be between 244 and 247 AD. This may be the shortest length of time we can so far decide on.