Pulau Aur and Some Nearby Islands in Chinese Nautical Sources of the Ming Period

Abstract

Some scholars have proposed to identify the names Shangxiazhu 上下竺, Zhuyu 竺嶼, Tianzhushan 天竺山, and Dongxizhu 東西竺, recorded in Song and Yuan sources, with Pulau Aur, the easternmost island of the Seribuat Archipelago, but there is dissent on the issue. The present study briefly reviews that. It also summarizes references to the Seribuat Islands on the so-called “Zheng He Map”. However, the principal aim is to discuss and throw light on the presentation of Pulau Aur and various nearby islands in nautical works of the Ming period. This concerns several toponyms, especially Dongzhushan 東竹山, Xizhushan 西竹山, and Dongxizhu 東西竹. It also concerns sailing routes through the archipelago itself, and along its eastern rim. Although many entries in the relevant sources provide ambiguous information, the general impression is that the network of routes used by Chinese sailors in the northwestern section of the Natuna Sea expanded in the course of time, i.e., from the days of Zheng He through to the early seventeenth century. The final part of the article suggests that one may also consider information found in Portuguese roteiros and other records to draw an improved panorama.