Page 10 - Vol_2_Archaeology of Manila Galleon Seaport Trade

x Introduction

Miao Liu

Miao Liu focused on the development of export ceramics and kiln sites af!liated
to Zhangzhou seaport maritime trade in her paper The Cultural Change of the Kilns
and the Content of Export Ceramics on the Perspective of Development of
Zhangzhou Seaports during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. She chronologically
divided the changing of the Zhangzhou bay seaports and types of exported ceramics
into successive !ve stages, which are the early stage of private trade of celadon of
southern Fujian kilns and blue and white of Jingdezhen kilns along the coast bay of
Zhangzhou in mid Ming Dynasty, the flourishing trade of Zhengzhou kiln products
at Yuegang seaport in the mid and late Ming Dynasty, the exportation of
Jingdezhen porcelains by Anhai and Xiamen seaports during the late Ming
Dynasty, the ceramics from mountainous areas in southern Fujian traded by the
Koxinga overseas trade group at Xiamen and Anhai seaports in the late Ming and
early Qing dynasties, and the last stage trade of ceramics of Anxi and Dehua kilns
by Xiamen seaport in Qing Dynasty. This historical division provided a clear
understanding of changing and diversity of export ceramics of Southeast China
during the period of galleon trade.
Nan’ao No. I shipwreck in east coast of Guangdong is one of most important
shipwrecks discovered along the coast of Southeast China, which was identi!ed as
the Chinese junk bound for Manila trade during late Ming and Qing dynasties. The
Investigation and Preliminary Analysis of Nan’ao No. I Shipwreck in Guangdong
presented by Chunshui Zhou made a comprehensive description of the archaeo-
logical discovery of this shipwreck, including plan of the wreck remain and wooden
hull structure, the content of cargoes of ceramics, bronze coins, copper ingots,
stone, wooden, lacquer and bone artifacts, and a series of organic food and fruit
remains. Further discussions on the characteristic of hull structure of the junk, the
entreportting of porcelains from Jingdezhen to Yuegang, and the reconstruction
of the sea route were also presented.
Being one of the most important transiting terminals trading center for galleon
cargoes in mainland East Asia, Yuegang had not only been the exporting seaport
transferring Chinese cargoes for Manila and all over the world, but also the most