The Country of Balujia跋禄迦國

The country of Balujia is more than six hundred li from east to west and more than three hundred li from north to south. The great capital city of the country is five or six li around. What the soil suits, the seasons, the nature of the people and their customs, their writing and their rules are the same as in the country of Quzhi, and only the speech differs a little. Their fine felt and fine cloth are prized in the neighboring countries. There are some tens of monasteries and more than a thousand monks, and they study the Sarvastivada school of the Lesser Vehicle.

Going northwest from the country more than three hundred li and crossing a stony waste, one reaches Mount Ling. This is the northern plateau of the Pamirs, and the waters here mostly run east. Snow lies heaped in the mountain valleys and freezes hard even in spring and summer. It melts at times, but it soon turns to ice again. The road through is steep and blocked, and the cold wind is bitter. There are many fierce dragons, and travelers may not lightly cross them. Those who take this road must not wear red clothes, or carry a gourd, or call out in a loud voice. Break this even a little, and the disaster is there before your eyes. A violent wind rises, sand flies and stones fall like rain, and those who meet it perish and hardly come through alive. Going more than four hundred li along the mountains, one reaches the Great Clear Lake. It is more than a thousand li around, long from east to west and narrow from north to south. It has mountains at its back on all four sides, and many streams run together into it. Its color is a blue that runs to black, and its taste is both salt and bitter. Great billows spread far and startled waves rush by. Dragons and fish live there mixed together, and uncanny things happen now and then. So those who travel to and fro pray there and ask for blessing. There are many creatures in the water, but none dare to fish for them.

Going northwest from the clear lake more than five hundred li, one reaches the city of Suyeshui. The city is six or seven li around, and Hu merchants from many countries live there mixed together. The soil suits millet, barley and grapes. Woods and trees are thin. The seasons bring a cold wind, and the people wear felt and coarse cloth.

West of Suye there are some tens of cities standing alone, and each city sets up its own chief. They take no orders from one another, yet all of them are held in service by the Turks. From the city of Suyeshui to the country of Jieshuangna the land is named Suli, and the people are called by that name as well. Their writing and their speech take the same name. The roots of their letters are few, no more than twenty at the first, but they turned them and bred them one from another until the branches spread wide. They have some written records, and they read their writing downward. They pass it on one to another, and master and pupil follow without a break. They wear felt and coarse cloth, and clothes of leather and of cotton. Their garments are narrow and tight, they cut the hair level and leave the crown bare. Some shave the head clean. They bind the forehead with colored silk, and they are large in build. In nature they are timid. Their customs are harsh and false, and they often deal in trickery. On the whole they are greedy to get: father and son reckon profit, and wealth is what they hold noble. There is no difference between high born and low born, and though a man be rich beyond counting, his clothes and his food are coarse and worn. Those who work hard at the fields and those who chase profit are about half and half.

Going west from the city of Suye more than four hundred li, one reaches the Thousand Springs. The Thousand Springs is a stretch of land more than two hundred li across. On the south are the Snow Mountains, and on the other three sides level ground. Water and soil are rich and moist, and woods and trees grow thick. In the last month of spring the mingled flowers are like patterned silk, and there are a thousand springs and pools, and so it is named. The khan of the Turks comes here every year to escape the heat. Within it are herds of deer, many of them decked with bells and rings. They are used to men and do not startle and run far. The khan is fond of them, and he has laid a command on his people that whoever dares to kill or harm one shall be put to death without pardon. So these deer live out the years that are theirs.

Going west from the Thousand Springs a hundred and forty or fifty li, one reaches the city of Daluosi. The city is eight or nine li around, and Hu merchants from many countries live there mixed together. What the soil suits and the seasons are much the same as at Suye.

Going south some ten li, there is a small city standing alone, with more than three hundred households. They are Chinese by origin. Long ago they were carried off by the Turks, and afterwards those of the same country gathered together and held this city among them, and there they have settled and live. Their clothing and their bearing have come to be the same as the Turks, but in speech and in manners what belonged to their own country still remains.

Going southwest from here more than two hundred li, one reaches the city of Baishui. The city is six or seven li around. What the land brings forth and what the climate suits are better than at Daluosi.

Going southwest more than two hundred li, one reaches the city of Gongyu. The city is five or six li around. The plains and the low wet ground are rich, and the woods grow thick.

Going south from here forty or fifty li, one reaches the country of Nuchijian.