Historical Contact Research Articles

Textological aspect of studying works on Yakut folklore in the context of studying materials of the Sibiryakov expedition (1894-1896)

This article is devoted to the study of works on Yakut folklore in the context of the materials of the Sibiryakov expedition (1894–1896). The relevance of the research lies in the study of the scientific works of I.A. Khudyakov "Verkhoyansky collection: Yakut tales, songs, riddles and proverbs, as well as Russian tales and songs recorded in the Verkhoyansky district by I.A. Khudyakov", E.K. Pekarsky "Samples of Yakut folk literature" in the textual aspect and directions of conceptual provisions regarding the folklore of the Sakha people. The purpose of the study is to reveal the textual parameters of the works of I.A. Khudyakov and E.K. Pekarsky as fundamental works on Yakut folklore, where the texts of the Yakut epic olonkho acquire particular significance. The methodological basis of the study is the theoretical directions of textual criticism as a branch of philology. The work uses cultural and hermeneutic methods in the comparative typological analysis of texts, sources, and documents. As a result of the study, the scientific context of the studies undertaken by I.A. Khudyakov and E.K. Pekarsky is emphasized, their personal contribution to Yakut folklore studies is highlighted, which confirms the importance of historical and literary contacts and contexts, but also convincingly reveals the role and significance of the Sibiryakov (Yakut region) expedition in the history of national culture as a whole.

On the issue of Mongolic borrowings in Yakut vocabulary (based on the names of fur-bearing animals)

This article presents a linguistic analysis of Mongolic borrowings in the Yakut language, using the names of fur-bearing animals as a case study. The relevance of this research stems from the need to document and describe one of the less-studied areas of Yakut vocabulary – Mongolic borrowings in the names of fur-bearing animals. This study plays a crucial role in preserving the unique lexical heritage that reflects historical and cultural contacts between the Yakuts and Mongolic-speaking peoples. The aim of the work is to identify and systematise Mongolic borrowings in the domain of fur-bearing animal names and to explore their linguistic and cultural significance within the Yakut language. Tasks include reviewing existing scientific literature, collecting and classifying lexical items, and conducting etymological research. Analysing Mongolic borrowings in the names of fur-bearing animals will reveal features that help understand the evolution of linguistic interactions and the formation of the contemporary linguistic landscape of Yakutia. The article employs methods of semantic, etymological, and comparative-historical analysis. The results of the study demonstrate that Mongolic borrowings hold a significant place in Yakut vocabulary. The research identifies specific morphological and phonetic changes that occurred during the adaptation of Mongolic words into Yakut. Special attention is given to the analysis of semantic changes, including the preservation of original meanings, the use of euphemisms, metaphorical transfers, and semantic adaptation. These aspects reflect deep cultural and linguistic interactions between the Yakuts and Mongolic-speaking ethnic groups. The findings contribute to a broader understanding of lexical borrowing processes and deepen the comprehension of language interactions between different ethnic groups.

Impact of agent-based intervention strategies on the COVID-19 pandemic in large-scale dynamic contact networks

Many intervention strategies, such as patient isolation and contact tracking, had been implemented in different countries to slow down and control the spread because of the enormous threats and losses caused by COVID-19. Since the contact relationships of millions of people within cities change over time, it is difficult to accurately predict the dynamics of large-scale outbreaks and evaluate the impact of the contact tracking and isolation strategy based on individual contact history on epidemic transmission. Here, we propose a non-markov spreading model based on individual contact dynamic network, to simulate the dynamic contact processes in a city with millions of people. In this model, the historical contact population of each infected person can be backtracked and tracked. Our model can accurately describe the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan and Hong Kong. We assess the impact of four agent-based epidemic intervention strategies: travel control, contact tracking and isolation, vaccination, and regular nucleic acid testing to all residents on the epidemic evolution and economic losses. We find that for the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, a strict travel control strategy is effective in both suppressing the spread of COVID-19 and minimizing economic losses. For the Omicron variant (BA.2) with stronger infectious capacity, a relatively loose travel control and an appropriate combination of the other three strategies can effectively control the epidemic outbreak while minimize economic losses. This paper provides an efficient framework for assessing the combination of different agent-based strategies by large-scale simulations in the case of unknown historical contact information of large populations, and the studies on different combinations of control strategies can provide theoretical guidance for future prevention and control.

Gorani substrate within Kurdish

Abstract The traditional view within Kurdish linguistics is that the split between Central Kurdish (CK) and Northern Kurdish (NK) is mainly the result of a Gorani substrate within the former group. More recent studies refute this hypothesis, arguing instead that Kurdish was initially composed of two distinct but closely related subgroups and that the differences between CK and NK are partly due to distinct source languages and partly due to ensuing contact with neighbouring languages. This study aims to shed new light on the Gorani-substrate hypothesis within CK by examining a corpus-based study of the southernmost CK dialects located within the historical Gorani heartland. Combining recent historical accounts of language shift from Gorani to CK in the region with linguistic data, the paper claims that (i) Gorani borrowings and substrate features reflect different layers of historical contact in Southern CK dialects and (ii) the Gorani substrate has caused a split in the morphosyntactic features across vernaculars of CK, showcasing second-language learning in shaping the historically recent development of Southern CK dialects.

MACHINE LEARNING AND THE STUDY OF LANGUAGE CHANGE: A REVIEW OF METHODOLOGIES AND APPLICATION

Language change, a fundamental aspect of human communication, has long been a central focus in linguistic research. Traditional methods of analysis, while valuable, have been limited by the scale and complexity of linguistic data. The advent of machine learning (ML) offers transformative potential in this field, enabling the analysis of vast datasets and the discovery of subtle patterns that may elude manual scrutiny. This review paper comprehensively examines the current state of ML methodologies in the study of language change, synthesizing findings from 67 peer-reviewed articles. We delve into diverse ML approaches, including supervised, unsupervised, and deep learning techniques, and critically evaluate their applications across various linguistic domains, such as historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, and language contact. We address challenges related to data availability, bias, and model interpretability, emphasizing the need for transparent and rigorous methodologies. By summarizing key findings and outlining future directions, this review aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration between linguists and computer scientists, advancing our understanding of the complex dynamics of language evolution.

Islamic Literacy and Scholarship in African Languages: The Case of Hausa in West Africa

Language is the main instrument in the wider spread and documentation of Islam and Islamic history in Africa and beyond. Historical development and rapid spread of Islam in African societies were historically accredited to African languages. The historic contact of the first Muslim generations with the Ethiopian emperor opens up the gate for the socio-linguistic development of translating Islamic dogma and messages into African languages. The Hausa factor in West African Islam is well noted in the writings of the early Muslim scholars. African linguistics contributions enhance the converts' literacy and develop a strong community of scholars of the highest historical relevance in the history of Islam in the African context. Africa is the home of about 2000 languages, Nigeria is with more than 556 languages, having Hausa leading the race with about 150 million speakers was rated as number 11 out of 7500 languages in the modern world as of 2022. Interestingly, about 85% of the Hausa native speakers are Muslims and about 69 percent of the Nigerian Muslim scholars are either Hausa natives or hausanized through Islamic activities in Hausaland. Thus, the spread of Islam in Africa was the handwork of African languages and not by the sword as alleged by the observers. My contact with Muslim scholars of various regions in Hausaland justified that, the technique of identification and naming Arabic alphabets are the same across the regions. In addition, the Ajami writing styles are the same. Hundreds of books and manuscripts are of the same orthography. These gave me the courage to investigate how it helps Islamic scholarship in the West African regions. This paper aims to study the role of Hausa Muslim scholars in the translation, naming, and adaptation of the 28 Arabic alphabets into the Hausa language which led to the innovation of Hausa Ajami writing and subsequent development of scholarship in the Hausaland. The paper would critically look into the Hausa-Arabic battle of alphabets treatment and the role of mother tongue in Islamic scholarship activities in West Africa Islam, with special emphasis on Hausa-speaking communities of West Africa.

English Lexical Borrowing in Filipino: Morphophonological Adaptation of English Lexemes and Loanwords

English has profoundly influenced the Philippine language through the assimilation of source language words into the recipient language. This linguistic exchange, influenced by historical and cultural contacts, has resulted in a notable transformation of linguistic aspects in the Philippines. Over time, English has seamlessly been incorporated into the Filipino language, highlighting a notable process of linguistic exchange. This study specifically delved into the morphological and phonological adaptations of English loanwords in Filipino, examining nuances and shifts in linguistic structure and meaning during the borrowing process through purposive sampling. Qualitative research methods and content analysis were employed, focusing on loanwords extracted from Bob Ong’s novels as a linguistic corpus, delving into the process of incorporating English loanwords into the Filipino language, exploring how this integration instigates a transformation to align with the grammatical and linguistic structure of the target language, and revealing notable morphophonological adaptations and semantic shifts that occur during the borrowing process. Inflections of English lexemes, complemented with Filipino morphemes, were observed, along with modifications to phonological rules, phonotactic constraints, morphemes, and shifts in semantic meaning. The analysis revealed an overall change in the morphophonological structure of phrases and sentences within the corpus. This research underscores the impact of cultural and contextual factors on the adaptation of English loanwords into Filipino, emphasizing specific patterns or structures in the vocabulary borrowing process tailored to the target language. This study contributes valuable insights for linguistic researchers, educators, and language enthusiasts interested in tracing language development and evolution through borrowing and adaptation.

Cultural Interaction: An Overview of the Interconnectivity Between Jewish and Yoruba Traditional Cultures

Culture is probably one of the most important social factors in human existence and it has its roots in the history of a people and defines the identity of the group. It is said to be the complex whole of man’s acquisition of knowledge, morals, beliefs, arts, customs and technology, which are shared and transmitted from generation to generation. This paper delves into the interaction between the cultures of Biblical Jews and Yoruba of Africa. It further explores the possibility of historical contact between the two societies which engendered the pronounced interconnectivity and convergence of culture. The study employs a multidisciplinary approach incorporating historical, anthropological and socio-cultural methodologies to objectively reconstruct the relevant events of the past through analysis, synthesis and verification. This among other things should enhance peaceful co-existence and socio-economic development between the two societies. The paper discovers that cultural interaction and interconnectivity as we have it between the two societies and this should serve as a catalyst for peaceful co-existence which in turn encourages bilateral developmental activities. It recommended that the two societies under study should discard cultural practices that are harmful to humanity, especially that constraint development. On the other hand, cultural practices which engender development and peaceful co-existence are promoted.

Loanwords in Basic Vocabulary as an Indicator of Borrowing Profiles

Abstract Loanwords carry information on linguistic interactions, and can also reveal (pre-)historical population contacts. The contact history of a particular language family is an essential component of historical linguistics, but it is also illuminating for integrative studies of the human past. However, data availability and the time-consuming nature of etymology mean that comprehensive research on loanword layers exists for relatively few languages, forcing us to rely on limited material for others. This paper compares the loanword layers in the basic and total vocabulary of six well-studied Uralic languages, assessing how accurately the borrowing profile in basic vocabulary reflects the full profile of a language. We define “borrowing profile” as the known contact history of a language reflected by its loanword layers. We demonstrate that the loanword layers in basic vocabulary provide an adequate cross-section of the full borrowing profile, although basic vocabulary manifests prehistoric contacts more strongly than more recent contacts.

Transculturation and the porosity of cultures: Fernando Ortiz

AbstractFernando Ortiz introduced his account of transculturation to replace Melville Herskovits’s notion of acculturation as a way of describing the historical contact between cultures. Ortiz understood the idea of acculturation to be promoting a kind of assimilationist model very different from what he witnessed in his native Cuba. Transculturation conforms neither to the model of cosmopolitanism promoted by Kant’s universal history, nor to the kind of multiculturalism that is rooted in Herder’s rival approach to history. Instead, it presents a concept of cultural contact and cultural transformation that highlights the way the material and economic conditions of social existence shape the institutions in which cultures more narrowly conceived are embedded and relate to each other. By bringing transculturation into dialogue with the idea of the porosity of cultures initially promoted in 1925 by Walter Benjamin in his essay on Naples, we find a way to free transculturation from Ortiz’s tendency to lapse into biological metaphors with the danger of retaining a reference to cultural purity that he would not endorse. Transculturation, thus revised, recommends itself as a term helpful for thinking about a world shaped by mass migration and the new technological forms of ever more rapid cultural exchange. Properly understood, it promotes a future where openness and sharing are valued over ownership and preservation.

Examining the Popularity of Yoshimoto Banana with Reference to the Historical Ties Between Italy and Japan

This article investigates the popularity of the contemporary Japanese writer Yoshimoto Banana abroad, especially in Italy. This has its own particular reasons. Italy was the first western country where she achieved immense popularity beyond her home country Japan. The article mulls over the notable developments and other key factors why Italy became the entry point of Yoshimoto Banana to international level of popularity supported with the historical references from the key incidents of historical contact between Japan and Italy. This includes description in travelogues as old as from thirteenth century by various notable historical figures who either came to Japan from Italy or vice versa. It further probes the appreciation received by Yoshimoto Banana through reception of various critical choice awards and an ever expanding fan base in Italy, which is rare for an author from Asian origin.

Host-specific monogeneans parasitizing freshwater fish: The ecology and evolution of host-parasite associations.

Monogenea (Platyhelminthes), mainly gill and fin ectoparasites of fish, are often recognized as host specific and morphologically and ecologically diverse. These parasites exhibit high species diversity at the level of host species or individual fish specimens. Using case studies, especially those widely performed in Dactylogyrus parasitizing cyprinoid fish, this article presents current knowledge on the ecology and evolution of congeneric gill monogeneans. The important aspects of the ecology of congeneric monogeneans are highlighted, in particular: host specificity expressed at several host levels (from strict specificity to phylogenetic specificity), microhabitat specificity expressed by restricted positions on fish gills to facilitate intraspecific mating, and the link between microhabitat preference and morphological adaptation (i.e., sclerotized structures of the haptor) or reproductive isolation. From the evolutionary perspective, this study focused on the processes of the speciation and diversification of congeneric monogeneans, highlighting the role of host switch as the most prominent coevolutionary event, accompanied in some cases mostly by intrahost speciation or cospeciation, as revealed by cophylogenetic studies. Here, important knowledge on evolutionary patterns of host specificity, microhabitat specificity, and morphological adaptation is presented. Host-specific monogeneans may represent an important tool for studying the historical biogeography of their hosts. Specifically, in the case of freshwater fish hosts exhibiting disjunctive distribution, they reflect both historical and contemporary contacts. The role of host-specific congeneric monogeneans in revealing historical intercontinental and intracontinental contacts between freshwater fish is highlighted. Finally, the importance of the role of genetic coadaptation, limiting the presence of host-specific monogeneans in hybrid fish, is emphasized.

HISTORICAL STUDY OF MALAY AND CHAM: RELATIONS IN SOCIAL, CULTURAL, POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS CONTEXTS

Historical contact between the Indochinese and Malay worlds dates back to the early Bronze Age civilisations of the archipelago. It continued throughout the period of intense trade in the archipelago. Diplomatic relations between the Champa and Malay nations are not limited to economics, but have entered a more intense realm, such as politics, Islamic preaching to a small level, namely kinship. This journal article aims to discuss the history of the relationship between Malay Muslims and the Cham community, especially in building and empowering the Cham Muslim community in Vietnam in the past. The research method used is the historical research method, where source collection uses literature study techniques, with data analysis using interactive patterns. The analysis was carried out from the beginning of the research as well as during the process of analysing the research data sources up to the process of drawing conclusions. The results show that the study of the historical relationship between Champa and Malay has provided insights into the intense relationship between these two nations. This can be seen in how Champa and Malay work together to empower the Cham Muslim community in terms of social, economic, religious and political aspects. The relationship between Malay and Champa is not only romanticised in the past, but this relationship continues to be established and sustained on the basis of culture, humanity and religion.

Linguistic and cultural foundations of verbal aggression in the Russian language

The relevance of the research is determined by the insufficient study of the forms of aggression in the context of culture, as well as insufficient description of the extralinguistic prerequisites of aggression correlated with the subject area of culture, and intra-linguistic means and methods of cultural reference of aggression. The aim of the study is to identify the linguistic and cultural foundations of expressing aggression in the Russian language and to describe the means of its verbalization through the prism of the binary category “Own/ Other”, which is the basis of ethnic conflicts. To achieve this aim, the method of definitional, semantic, linguistic-cultural analysis, descriptive method was used. A sociolinguistic experiment was conducted. Methods of continuous sampling from lexicographic sources and of quantitative calculations of the responses received by the participants of the experiment were applied. The research material included: 1) a corpus of more than 50 lexical and phraseological units of the Russian language taken from dictionaries, which verbalize aggressive attitude towards “foreign” culture and “foreign” ethnos; 2) a range of ethnopholisms obtained in the sociolinguistic experiment among high school students in Astrakhan. It was determined that aggression in the Russian language has a culturological explanation: it is conditioned by identifying the ethnos according to the principle of “own - other”. The linguistic and cultural basis of aggressive semantics is the semantics of “alienness”, which is expressed by demonstrating an obviously negative attitude to “alien”, which is the object of an aggressive action. A special group of lexical means - linguistic and cultural markers of aggression - includes units, negatively characterizing representatives/artifacts of a “foreign” culture. Linguistic and cultural markers of aggression are ethnopholisms. Aggressive nominations of ethnic groups historically residing both far abroad and in the Russian multicultural region are equally relevant in the linguistic consciousness of young people. From extralinguistic positions, the consolidation and activation of hostile lexico-phraseological means in the language are conditioned by the intercultural historical contacts of nations which are currently being reflected in the journalistic discourse, in Internet communication. The perspective of the research is seen in the use of its results for developing the concept of overcoming speech aggression in the educational space, where the factor of hostility has hindered the education of a tolerant personality.

Reconstructing historical language contact between Slavic languages and Austrian varieties of German: theoretical assumptions, methodological approaches and general results

Abstract Undisputedly, slavic languages have had a considerable influence on german and the attitudes towards multilingualism in austria. This article portrays theoretical reflections, new findings and innovative methodological approaches to the reconstruction of historical language contact between slavic languages and austrian varieties of german. These approaches were jointly developed within the task cluster on language contact of the austrian special research programme “german in austria. Variation – contact – perception”. In this context, the implications of historical and recent slavic-german multilingualism on german in austria are of special interest. The paper concludes with an overview of preliminary research results, methodological lessons learnt and considerations for further sociolinguistic research in historical contexts.

Dative Doubling in Non-Mandatory Contexts in European Spanish

Clitic doubling (CD) is the co-appearance in the same sentence of the clitic and a correlative syntagma in the canonical position of the object. Apart from obligatory contexts, CD of the indirect object (IO) is found with variable frequency in Romance languages and even in different varieties of the same language, most likely because it is a phenomenon of internal/external language interface. The objective of this work is to determine the frequency of CD in non-obligatory contexts of recipient and location IO in peninsular Spanish, and to analyse its features according to the referential hierarchy used for the diachronic evolution of the phenomenon. For this purpose, we extracted data from two open access corpora of interviews (COREC and PRESEEA) from different regions that are (or are not) areas of historical contact with other languages. The results show a significant extension of doubling in contexts where this is optional and the neutralisation of features that previously predicted CD of IOs. Nevertheless, there are geographical differences in peninsular Spanish in terms of frequency, definiteness, specificity, the influence of the cliticization of the direct object, and the accessibility of the IO referents in the minds of the speakers.

THE BRITISH COLONIAL POWER IN GEORGE ORWELL’S BURMESE DAYS

This study tried to discover British colonial power in George Orwell’s Burmese Days. Gramsci's hegemony theory regarding to a concept of an integral state was applied. A qualitative descriptive method was used in the study. Data in the study were dialogues and narratives from historical contacts between British and Burmese regarding the British colonial regime. The data consisted intrinsic element of theme, and 2 extrinsic elements of political society and civil society. Both elements were structure in literary works, and represent the British colonial power in George Orwell’s Burmese Days. A theme of colonial was found among the element of fiction. There were extrinsic elements such as political society and civil society. The study concluded that the intrinsic elements forming a story that could representative how the British colonial power appeared on theme. The relationship of both elements form totality of meaning and integrity that how the British colonial power operations in George Orwell’ Burmese Days. Keywords: colonialism, hegemony, integral state, orientalism

Эпосоведение

This work is a continuation of the study of the oral heritage of the Khoshuts of Kalmykia, which was widely used in past centuries. The relevance of the study is dictated by the preparation for publication of a corpus of Khoshut folklore texts in the book “Historical and cultural heritage of the Khoshuts of Kalmykia” (2023). The purpose of the article is to describe the plot composition of Khoshut non-fairytale prose. The source of the study was the personal field materials of the authors (2006–2021), recorded in the city of Elista and the regions of Kalmykia, as well as archival materials stored in the Scientific Archive of the Kalmyk Institute for Humanitarian Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Archive of the Republic of Kalmykia. For comparison, texts from printed publications were used, as well as expeditionary materials collected by the authors in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China (2012–2019). When writing this article, the authors relied on the descriptive method, the comparative typological method and the comparative analysis. Source analysis of archival and published materials, decoding of records from magnetic tapes (1960–1978), carried out by the authors of the article, made it possible to shed light on unknown and little-known works of non-fairytale prose, recorded by Kalmyk scientists (N. N. Ubushaev (1967; 1970), A. V. Badmaev (1970), A. Sh. Kichikov (1970), L. S. Sangaev (1978), E. B. Ovalov (1982) and others) in the second half of the 20th century. Khoshut storytellers Ochir Badmaev (1896–1992), Nuskha Tyurbeev (1900–1986), Yegor Mukabenov (1903–1980), Chimid Komaev (1903–1992), Boris Boktaev (1927–2014) and Shani Boktaev (1933–2010) . Comparison with non-fabulous plots of other nations contributed to the classification and systematization of some plots of myths, legends, legends and oral stories of the Khoshuts of Kalmykia. The similarity of plots with Oirat, Mongolian and Buryat works testifies to a common national folklore fund, and the coincidence of some plots with samples of non-fairytale prose of other peoples can be interpreted as a result of historical contacts, as well as the mental capabilities of human societies that were at the same stage of development. As a result of the analysis of the considered texts, interpretations and differentiating elements of the plots of myths, legends, historical traditions and oral stories of the Khoshuts of Kalmykia, related to their local tradition, are established.

WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF GEOPOLITICAL CONDITIONS OF WORLD WAR I. IMPORTANCE OF THE CALIPHATE MOVEMENT FOR TURKEY AND INDIA

India shares excellent historical, cultural, and diplomatic contacts with the Ottomans. India’s connections with Ottoman Empire could be traced at least from the Ottoman capture of Istanbul in 1453. The Ottoman Sultans functioned as Caliph for nearly 80 million Mohammedans in India during the 19th century, revered for their control over holy places such as Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina. The Mohammedan society within India heavily sympathized with Turkiye’s cause, including support from all religious and political classes. India was the only foreign country in the world that sent a medical mission to Turkiye during the Balkan Wars (1912-13). While Indian freedom fighters significantly understood the imperial and colonial policies of the West, to which Turkiye also found itself strangled from all sides during the late and initial phases of the 19th and 20th centuries.
 Sharif Hussein’s family played a crucial role in igniting the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire. But he could not evoke Caliphate to attain support from Mohammedan society in the post-war era due to the fear among the Islamic community of being the puppet of the West. Moreover, the Young Turk Movement and German Kaiser (protectorate) could not supersede the supra-national identity of Islam. Still, the rise of Nationalism under the Western protectorates heavily impacted the Ottoman control of Gulf/West Asia. The First World War and subsequent agreements dismantled the Ottomans’ regional authority. The Subsequent treatment of Ottomans under the Treaty of Sevres ignited the Indian response supporting the Turkish cause. This paper seeks to outline India- Turkiye relations during the Khilafat movement 1919-1924 and possible reasons for the help of the Khilafat movement.

China’s Maritime Links with Medieval Kerala: An Examination of the Vadakkanpāttukal and Recovered Chinese Artefacts

ABSTRACTThis paper is an attempt to glean the meanings that the Malayalam literary source, the Vadakkanpāttukal1 carry, specifically in terms of the references therein to “China” (or objects and artefacts associated with China) along with an examination of recovered Chinese artefacts from the Kerala coast. The paper extends study into the historical maritime contacts between southern India and China by examining an academically hybrid category of objects and literary references situated in medieval Kerala. The effort is to gain insights from regional historiography in order to reveal the “subjective understandings” that shaped the relationships between “States” at an earlier point in history within a Constructivist International Relations paradigm. The study uniquely interrogates aspects of microhistory using autochthonous sources revealed through literary references, besides recovered archaeological artefacts connecting China with Kerala in order to bring to light hitherto less-known aspects of the cross-cultural encounters.