Editing Natuna Regency (section)

===I-Tsing’s Notes===
The discovery of the Natuna Islands by I-Tsing (or [[Yijing (monk)|Yijing]]) has been disputed by some historians, who point to errors in interpreting his historical records. Although I-Tsing, a Buddhist monk from the Tang Dynasty, recorded his extensive travels through Southeast Asia and India, there is no strong evidence in his records that explicitly mentions the Natuna Islands. Many historians argue that I-Tsing only referred to the ''South Sea'' region in general, specifically [[Srivijaya]] (now [[Sumatra]]), as a center of Buddhist learning.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Chan |first1=Ven. Dr. Zhen |last2=Chun |first2=Ooi Han |title=I-Tsing's Legacy at the South Sea - A Combined Narrative and Humanistic Geography – Phenomenological Analysis (1) |url=https://ejournal.um.edu.my/index.php/joss/article/download/39953/15048/98143 |access-date=10 November 2024 |website=e-Journal UM}}</ref><ref>I-Tsing, ''A Record of the Buddhist Religion : As Practised in India and the Malay Archipelago (A.D. 671-695)'', Translated by J. Takakusu, Clarendon press 1896. Reprint. New Delhi, AES, 2005, ISBN 81-206-1622-7.</ref>

Most claims that I-Tsing discovered or mentioned Natuna come from misinterpretations of maps and documents related to the voyages of Chinese sailors such as [[Zheng He]] who came several centuries later. In his notes, I-Tsing emphasized his journey to India and his life in Srivijaya rather than exploring the sailing routes to specific islands.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-04 |title=Notes from Central Taiwan: Natunas past, present and future - Taipei Times |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2024/11/04/2003826336 |access-date=2024-11-10 |website=www.taipeitimes.com}}</ref>

Therefore, some critics suggest that the interpretation linking I-Tsing with the discovery of the Natuna Islands may be a historical misunderstanding. They point out that the shipping routes and records linking Natuna are more related to Persian ships and other sailors who had passed through the region long before I-Tsing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chun |first=Ooi Han |date=2019 |title=I-Tsing at the South Sea – The Buddhist Learning Journey |url=https://digital_collect.lib.buu.ac.th/dcms/files/58810157.pdf |access-date=10 November 2024 |website=Digital Collect BUU |publisher=Burapha University}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Guy |first=John |title=Rare and Strange Goods: International Trade in Ninth-Century Asia |url=https://asia.si.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/shipwrecked-02-guy.pdf |access-date=10 November 2024 |website=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>