Chapter Three - Pomegranate: Becoming Chinese Apple

Summary

AROUND SIX THOUSAND years ago, the Persian people beganto domesticate the wild pomegranate tree. Soon thistree, along with its flower and fruit, had become awell-known image in Indian stories, Christianwritings, Hebrew literature, and Greek mythology.The pomegranate did not appear in Chinese recordsuntil much later, around the second century ce.Moreover, an etymological study reveals that theChinese word for the pomegranate came directly froman extinct Iranian language.

Early records credit Zhang Qian for introducing thisforeign fruit to China. For example, Lu Ji’s陸機(261–303) “Letter to Younger Brother Lu Yun” 與弟雲書notes, “Zhang Qian visited other countries as theimperial Envoy. After eighteen years, he returnedwith tulin, which isanshiliu(pomegranate)” 張騫為漢使外國，十八年，得塗林，安石 榴也4 Additionally,in Bowu zhi 博物志, acompendium of Chinese stories about natural wonders,Zhang Hua noted, “Zhang Qian visited the WesternRegions, and what he got were grapes, cilantro,alfalfa, and anshiliu(pomegranate)” 張騫使西域，所得蒲桃、胡 荽、苜蓿、安石榴.

Although the original documents for the citations abovehave long been lost, these passages are preserved inseveral encyclopedias: Qiminyaoshu 齊民要術 (compiled between 522–544),Yiwen leiju 藝文類聚(compiled in 624), Taipingyulan 太平御覽 (compiled in 983), and Chuxue ji 初學記 (compiled in728). These citations all reinforce the idea that itwas Zhang Qian who brought the Western fruit toChina. What these passages do not explain, however,is how the fruit's Chinese names, written as tulin 涂林, danruo 丹若, ruoliu 若榴, and anshiliu 安石榴, wereformed.

The earliest mention of the pomegranate appears in LiYou's 李尤 (44–126) “Rhapsody on the Deyang Hall”德陽殿賦:

蒲桃安石， Grape and pomegranate,

曼延蒙籠。spreading and luxuriant.