Beyond the Tribute of Yu: Sinitic Poetry's First Encounters with the Heartland of the Mongols

This article investigates the increased presence of Inner Asian landscapes in Sinographic poetry during the Mongol era and thus challenges traditionally postulated boundaries between sedentary and nomadic societies. Examining two sets of poems by Qiu Chuji 丘處機 (1148–1227) and Yelü Chucai 耶律楚 材 (1190–1244) that document their journeys through the Mongol heartland in the Eurasian Steppes of the early thirteenth century, this study highlights their pioneering efforts in adapting Sinographic poetics to represent this newly accessed landmass. While Qiu Chuji utilized early Daoist discourse about the far north to create a new framework that incorporated Mongol territories into the world of Sinographic literature, Yelü Chucai sought to connect the Mongol enterprise with the foundational periods of earlier powerful dynasties. This research contributes to the understanding of cross-cultural exchanges during the Mongol era and the role of travel in shaping Sinographic writers' imaginations of the emerging Mongol empire.