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Plate 28.3 Yue ware shards from the 10th century unearthed from Plate 28.4 Longquan wares from the 13th century excavated from
the site at Shanga, Pate Island the site at Mambrui, Kenya

discovered in East Africa increased tremendously and Kenyan coastal regions and the accompanying data will be
Longquan wares formed the majority of exported goods (Pl. used as evidence to discuss two important issues surrounding
28.4). This was the most prosperous era in the trading of the export of Ming ceramics.
Chinese ceramics in the region before the later colonial
period. The most important episode during the early Ming The ‘Ming Gap’ in Chinese ceramic exports during the
dynasty was Zheng He’s navigations. Zheng He visited early Ming
Africa at least twice and according to researchers, landed at The term ‘Ming Gap’ was coined by Tom Harrisson in light
a few sites along the Kenyan coast. The Chinese ceramics of the fact that no sign of trading activity during the Ming
discovered in the coastal areas of Kenya provide key dynasty had been found, not even in the form of broken
material evidence of Zheng He’s presence in Africa as this pieces of ceramics, along 100 miles of the coast of southwest
chapter will discuss. Borneo despite the discovery of millions of sherds from the
In the 15th and 16th centuries, East Africa was the first pre-Ming period in the area. 10
stop for Westerners when they entered the Indian Ocean. In In 2004, Roxanna M. Brown, then Director of the
1498, Vasco da Gama landed in Malindi after rounding the Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum at Bangkok University,
Cape of Good Hope. The Portuguese controlled East Africa confirmed the existence of a ‘Ming Gap’. She listed 15
during the 16th century, and used it as a springboard to shipwrecks containing Chinese and Southeast Asian
establish colonies east of Africa. The trade route of Lisbon– ceramics discovered in the Southeast Asia region to show
Malindi–Goa–Melaka was created and eventually extended that Ming dynasty policies banning or curtailing private
to the southeast region of China. During this period, the foreign trade caused the end of the ceramic trade that up
volume of ceramic trade expanded rapidly and even until this point had been monopolised by China. Dr Brown
surpassed that of previous eras. identified two types of shortages: a general scarcity of
The coastal areas of Kenya that represent the Swahili Chinese ceramic during the years 1325–80 and a severe
region of East Africa played a strategic role in the ancient shortfall of specifically blue-and-white porcelain in 1352–
trade circle of the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean, 1487. These two shortages were again referred to by Brown
11
and in the global trade system that gradually evolved in the as the ‘Ming Gap’. Her views were well received by
15th and 16th centuries. The Chinese ceramics that have academics and the ‘Ming Gap’ became a common feature in
been unearthed in these areas were important trade wares discussions among experts in connection with the Ming
and through tracing their export from China to regions dynasty’s export of ceramics and believed by many to be a
along the Indian Ocean rim, it is possible to obtain a better consequence of the Ming dynasty’s ban on private overseas
understanding of the wider changes that occurred over time trade.
in the history of Chinese maritime trade. The phenomenon of the almost non-existence of blue-
The Ming dynasty represents a crucial period in the and-white Chinese ceramics during the late Yuan and early
history and development of Chinese maritime trade and the Ming has been partially proved in the East Africa coastal
Chinese ceramics discovered in Kenya demonstrate the areas. Only a few Yuan dynasty blue-and-white shards were
state of ceramic exports at this time, especially to the Indian found in Kenya and almost no early Ming blue-and-white
Ocean rim regions. Among the 9,552 pieces of Chinese shards have been discovered. However, it is incorrect to say
ceramics unearthed from the 37 sites or museum collections that no Chinese ceramics were exported during the early
studied, 2,523 items (26.41%) are Ming ceramics. Among the Ming period. Dr Brown’s conclusions relied on ceramics
Ming ceramics, 753 objects (29.85%) are from the early recovered from shipwrecks discovered in Southeast Asia and
Ming, 171 (6.78%) are mid-Ming (Chenghua to Zhengde it should be pointed out that these do not always provide a
reigns) and 1,599 (63.38%) are from the late Ming to colonial complete picture of the trading situation because materials
period. Chinese ceramics unearthed from two key sites in recovered in underwater discoveries are unhelpful in terms

Ming Ceramics Discovered in Kenya and Some Related Issues | 247