Before the Mongols 蒙古 created their steppe federation under the leadership of Genghiz Khan the inhabitants of the steppe north of the Gobi desert were called "Black Tartars" (Hei Dada 黑韃靼) by the Chinese. Peng Daya 彭大雅 and later Xu Ting 徐霆 traveled as ambassadors of the Northern Song 北宋 court to the Black Tartars during th 1230es. Peng first wrote down his observances in a kind of travel report (jianwenlu 見聞錄 "what I have seen and heard"), Xu Ting soon added his own impressions as a kind of commentary. Both describe personalities, geography and climate, the economic life of pastoral nomadism, language, calendar and many more aspects of daily life of the steppe inhabitants.	Chapters of the Heida shilüe
	Exemplarious translation: Translated by .