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Calendar
Introduction
In The Years of Rice and Salt, there are several methods of dating used to identify the period of time during which the story occurs. This article will briefly explain the background of each method.The Chinese Calendar - 舊曆
In Books Three and Seven the "Ancient" Chinese Calendar system (舊曆 jiuli) is used. Rather than continual counting of the years from a certain event, such as the birth of Christ or the journey to Medina by Mohammed, time is counted in shorter periods, from the beginning of an emperor's rule until his death.The first line of Book Three states that it is the 35th Year of Wanli's reign. The historical figure Wanli lived from 1563-1620 and reigned from the age of 9 until his death, from 1572-1620.
In Book Seven, the emperor ruling China is Xianfeng. The historical figure Xianfeng lived from 1831-1861 and reigned from the age of 21 until his death, from 1850-1861. At the beginning of Book Seven it states that it is the 12th Year of Xianfeng's reign. In the final paragraphs of Book Seven, another emperor is mentioned, Guangxu. The historical figure Guangxu lived from 1871-1908 and reigned from the age of 4 until his death, from 1875-1908.
With this information, all that needs to be done to convert the date is to subtract the current regnal year from the first year of the emperor's reign in the Christian Calendar. Using this information the following dates can be calculated:
Wanli's Reign
- 35th Year/1598 AD - The year at the beginning of Book Three.
- 38th Year/1601 AD - The year Admiral Kheim begins his journey.
- 39th Year/1602 AD - The year Admiral Kheim returns home.
Xianfeng's Reign
- 12th Year/1862 AD - The year in which excessive rains occur in Fangzhang and cause floods.
Guangxu's Reign
- 21st Year/1896 AD - The year in which the Muslims of southern China revolt, but are quickly quelled.
The Islamic Calendar - التقويم الهجري
In Books Four and Seven the Islamic Calendar (Arabic: التقويم الهجري - at-taqwīm al-hijrī) is used. Just as the Christian Calendar measures time continually from the year of Christ's birth, the Islamic Calendar measures the years since the Prophet Mohammed travelled to Medina, in what is called the Hijra (Arabic: هِجْرَة). In the Christian Calendar this date is equivalent to 622 AD. It is important to note however that due to the fact that the Islamic Calendar only has 354/355 days (it is based on the lunar, not solar cycle), it is not easily converted. For example, the current year is 2007 in the Christian Calendar and 1428 in the Islamic Calendar. Subtracting 622 from 2007 yields 1385, which is off by about 40 years. As a result, a somewhat accurate method of converting the date is to multiply the Islamic year by 0.97 and then adding 622. While this method is not exact, it yields an approximate result.Dates Mentioned in the text:
- 1202 AH/~1788 AD - The year the Jannisaries revolt against the sultan and are quelled. The bodies of those that were executed are given to Ismail for autopsy and dissection.
- 1207 AH/~1793 AD - Konstantiyye (Arabic for Constantinople) is conquered by Kerala.
Sources:
Chinese Calendar from English Wikipedia, accessed 01/20/07.
Wanli Emperor from English Wikipedia, accessed 01/20/07.
Xianfeng Emperor from English Wikipedia, accessed 01/20/07.
Guangxu Emperor from English Wikipedia, accessed 01/20/07.
Islamic Calendar from English Wikipedia, accessed 01/20/07.
Hijra (Islam) from English Wikipedia, accessed 01/20/07.
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Latest page update: made by pdelrio
, Feb 23 2007, 3:12 AM EST
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