Imperial Horse Policy and the Publication of Equine Veterinary Medicine Books in Ming China: A Case Study on Yuanheng Liaomaji

Abstract

As the successor of the Mongol Yuan Empire, the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) continued to develop an extensive postal system in China in which horses played an important role. In order to support such a large-scale postal network, the demand for horses as means of transportation increased in the early Ming period, especially in mountainous regions of Southern China, where local horse husbandry was less developed than in the plains of the north. In order to increase the supply of horses, the Ming government imported horses from neighboring regions in Central Asia, Tibet, and Ryukyu through commerce and tributary trade. In addition, the government also forced local peasants to keep horses. Officials of postal stations were assigned to breed horses. Within such a historical context, knowledge of equine medicine became important, especially in regions where horse husbandry traditions had not developed previously. This study focuses on an equine veterinary encyclopedia published in the early seventeenth century, called Yuanhen Liaomaji (“Encyclopedia of Horse Medicines edited by the Yuan and Hen Brothers”). Through analyzing the authorship, content, audience, and influences of this text, a close connection can be seen between the Ming period imperial postal system and the publication of equine veterinary texts. In addition, this text was not only a product of developing horse husbandry in agricultural Chinese society, but also a work illustrating cultural and knowledge transfer between China and its neighboring regions such as Mongolia, Korea, and Japan.