Iranians in China

Iranian people have lived in China throughout various periods in Chinese history.

The Parthian Iranians, An Shigao and An Xuan, introduced Buddhism to China.

A village dating back 600 years in Yangzhou in Jiangsu province, China, has inhabitants descended from Iranians. It has 27,000 people and contains Iranian places names like Fars and Parsian.

Many Iranians took the Chinese name Li to use as their last name when they moved to China. One prominent family included Li Xian (Li Hsien) and Li Xun (Li Hsün). Sources say that either one of them was responsible for writing the "Hai Yao Ben Cao" (Hai yao pen ts'ao), translating to "Pharmacopoeia of foreign drugs". Li Xun was interested in foreign drugs and his book, The Haiyao Bencao, was all about foreign drugs. His family sold drugs for a living.

Li Hsien (Li Xian) had an older sister, Li Shun-Hsien (Li Shunxian), who was known for being beautiful, and a brother older than both of them named Li Hsün (Li Xun). They lived at the court of the royal family of Former Shu in Chengdu (modern day Sichuan). Li Shun-hsien also was a poet. Their family had come to China in 880 and were a wealthy merchant family. Li Hsien dealt with Daoist alchemy, perfumes and drugs.

The Huang Chao rebellion had earlier made their family flee. Li Su-sha, an Iranian who dealt in the incense trade, is speculated to be the grandfather of the three siblings.

Lo Hsiang- Lin wrote a biography of the three siblings. The family were Nestorian Christians. The two brothers then became Daoist. Li Hsün was also a poet who wrote in the manner of Chinese Song poetry. Li Hsien used urine to concoct "steroid sex hormones".

Iranians dominated the drug trade in China. In 824 Li Susha presented to Emperor Jingzong, the Chen xiang ting zi, a type of drug.

Li Hsün (Li Xun) wrote poems in the tz'u style and was one of its masters. He and his brother Li Hsien (Li Xian) traded in the drug business. The family lived in Sichuan.

...
Wikipedia