Page 103 - Vol_2_Archaeology of Manila Galleon Seaport Trade

4 A Historical Review on the Social-Cultural Impact … 71

After sweet potato had been imported to Yuegang of Zhangzhou, it spread
rapidly in south coastal counties in Fujian (Hokkien, $#), and then to Taiwan (#
#), Zhejiang, Shandong. Min Xiaoji (A Short Introduction of Fujian, !""!"
)
recorded:
Fanshu was imported from foreign country by Hokkiens in Wanli period of Ming Dynasty.
It grew easily in barren and poor land. It was planted originally in Zhangzhou county, then
was transferred to Quanzhou, Putian (!"), Changle (!() and Fuqing ($") counties in
central Hokkien. (Zhou 1985, pp. 123–128)
H. Wang (%!) also recorded the history of importing sweet potato from foreign
country to Fujian and Guangdong, in his Guang Qunfang Pu (An Introduction to
Flowers of Guangdong, !$!!#"):

Ganshu (#!), known as Fanshu was got from overseas and secretly taken to China while
it was forbidden to be exported out of the state. Then it was widely grown in Fujian and
Guangdong. (Wang 2003, pp. [845] 557–588)
A slightly different saying is also recorded in the historical books of Lingnan (#
$, Guangdong and Guangxi) regions. It argued that sweet potato species had been
introduced to China from Vietnam in Ming Dynasty.
Dianbai Xianzhi (Chronicle of Dianbai County, !$!"!"of Guangxu (&
)
#) period of Qing Dynasty recorded in Vol. 30th Memorabilia:
It is told that sweet potato came from Jiaozhi ()!, now the coast of Vietnam) where this
species was forbidden to be exported to China with the charge of death penalty on violators.
Doctor Lin, Huailan (#!') from Wuchuan ("") county visited Jiaozhou ()!, the
county of Jiaozhi) and ate sweet potato in the reception banquet of local people. He was
pleased to be offered a piece of raw sweet potato. He ate half of it then kept another half
secretly and left back for China. Then the species was introduced and grown widely in
Guangdong. (Sun 2003, pp. 311)
Dongguan Xianzhi (Chronicle of Dongguan County, !"""!" of early
)
Republic period cited the story from The pedigree of Chen family in Fenggang (!!
(!&"#"):
In the Gengchen (%!, Wanli 8th year of Ming Dynasty) year, Mr. Chen, Yi (!") took
his friend’s boat to Annan (!$, now Vietnam). After they arrived there, they were given a
reception of banquet with delicious sweet potato by the local chief of aboriginal. Mr. Chen
coveted the species of this sweet potato and bribed the chief for buying the species. Chen
leaved for home with the species and grew it in southern China. Sweet potato became
important food supply for resisting the famine. (Chen 1967, pp. 352–353)
Anyway, the Indochina peninsula has been another maritime connecting region
of Manila galleon trade system according to the Chinese historical navigation guide
book Sunfeng Xiangsong (!"!#!", Sea Routes with Successful Sailing) and
Zhinan Zhengfa (!"$!$", The Guide for Right Sea Routes). So these cited
documents recording Vietnam origin of sweet potato in Guangdong do not nec-
essarily contradict with the history that this species was !rstly imported to Yuegang
of Zhangzhou after it had been introduced to Philippines from America by galleon.