Si-fan or Pa-tsiu is the name by which the Chinese call the Tibetan tribes which occupy part of Western China. (Deveria, p. 167.)

Dr. Bretschneider writes (Med.  Res. II. p. 24):  “The north-eastern part of Tibet was sometimes designated by the Chinese name Si-fan, and Hyacinth [Bitchurin] is of opinion that in ancient times this name was even applied to the whole of Tibet. Si-fan means, ‘Western Barbarians.’  The biographer of Hiuen-Tsang reports that when this traveller, in 629, visited Liang-chau (in the province of Kan-Suh), this city was the entrepot for merchants from Si-fan and the countries east of the Ts’ung-ling mountains.  In the history of the Hia and Tangut Empire (in the Sung-shi) we read, s.a. 1003, that the founder of this Empire invaded Si-fan and then proceeded to Si-liang (Liang-chau).  The Yuen-shi reports, s.a. 1268:  ’The (Mongol) Emperor ordered Meng-gu-dai to invade Si-fan with 6000 men.’  The name Si-fan appears also in ch. ccii., biography of Dan-ba.”  It is stated in the Ming-shi, “that the name Si-fan is applied to the territory situated beyond the frontiers of the Chinese provinces of Shen-si (then including the eastern part of present Kan-Suh) and Sze-ch’wan, and inhabited by various tribes of Tangut race, anciently known in Chinese history under the name of Si Kiang....  The Kuang yu ki notices that Si-fan comprises the territory of the south-west of Shen-si, west of Sze-ch’wan and north-west of Yun-nan....  The tribute presented by the Si-fan tribes to the Emperor used to be carried to the court at Peking by way of Ya-chau in Sze-ch’wan.” (Bretschneider, 203.) The Tangutans of Prjevalsky, north-east of Tibet, in the country of Ku-ku nor, correspond to the Si-fan.

“The Ta-tu River may be looked upon as the southern limit of the region inhabited by Sifan tribes, and the northern boundary of the Lolo country which stretches southwards to the Yang-tzu and east from the valley of Kien-ch’ang towards the right bank of the Min.” (Hosie, p. 102.)

[Illustration:  Black Lolo.]

To Mr. E.C.  Baber we owe the most valuable information regarding the Lolo people: 

“‘Lolo’ is itself a word of insult, of unknown Chinese origin, which should not be used in their presence, although they excuse it and will even sometimes employ it in the case of ignorant strangers.  In the report of Governor-General Lo Ping-chang, above quoted, they are called ‘I,’ the term applied by Chinese to Europeans.  They themselves have no objection to being styled ‘I-chia’ (I families), but that word is not their native name.  Near Ma-pien they call themselves ‘Lo-su’; in the neighbourhood of Lui-po T’ing their name is ‘No-su’ or ‘Ngo-su’ (possibly a mere variant of ’Lo-su’); near Hui-li-chou the term is ’Le-su’—­the syllable Le being pronounced as in French.  The subject tribes on the T’ung River, near Mount Wa, also name themselves ‘Ngo-su.’  I have found the latter people speak very disrespectfully of the Le-su, which argues an internal distinction; but there can be no doubt that they are the same race, and speak the same language, though with minor differences of dialect.” (Baber, Travels, 66-67.)