This account gives us our first truly foreign perspective of life inside the Middle Kingdom - a place where the dead are fed until the living are bankrupt, and healthcare and education are subsidized by the state. Written in 851 and added to 50 years later by renowned Arab sailor Abu Zayd al-Sirafi. Enormous thanks to translator Tim Mackintosh-Smith and the Library of Arabic Literature for the use of this translation. https://nyupress.org/9781479830596/accounts-of-china-and-india/ If this channel is something you like, if you think saving primary sources is important, head over to the patreon and join up! patreon.com/voicesofthepast — Don’t forget to subscribe to my brother's channel History Time, where he makes full length historical documentaries:- https://www.youtube.com/historytime — Music courtesy of:- - Epidemic Sound — Voice actor & editor:- David Kelly We try to use copyright free images at all times. However if we have used any of your artwork or maps then please don't hesitate to contact me and we’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit. Thanks to: SeasonsinthesunScott Semans World Coins (CoinCoin.com) Gary Todd Zhang zhicheng [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)] Discott [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)] Dennis Jarvis