Page 39 - Vol_2_Archaeology of Manila Galleon Seaport Trade

1 Bound for America: A Historical and Archaeological … 5

Zhangzhou seaport, known as Yuegang, grew up in Ming Dynasty for the reason
of maritime ban policy and the tribute trade system. Both Fuzhou and Quanzhou
seaports developed as the of!cial seaport for tribute trade since early Ming Dynasty,
but declined soon after the decay of tribute trade system. Then most of the maritime
merchants of Fujian area gathered secretly in the remote southern coast near the
estuary of Jiulongjiang river in Zhangzhou, sailing outbound for southeast Asia,
“smuggling” or “illegally” trading with foreigner (Lin 1987, pp. 142–152). Then
the Yuegang seaport rose and was more flourished than Quanzhou and Fuzhou
since late Ming Dynasty.
Shuyu Zhouzilu (Consulting References of the Foreign Countries, !!!"#
!") of Ming Dynasty recorded the early private maritime contact between
European and Hokkiens merchants:

The Franc ("!") merchant ships arrived at Guangzhou (#!) in Zhengde ("", 1506–
1521) period. The local of!cial reported that these foreign merchants were brutal and
dishonest. The Ming imperial court ordered to expel all of the maritime merchants from
Franc, Annan (!!, now Vietnam), Malacca out of Guangzhou. Then all of the foreign
trade ships sailed to Fujian coast and smuggled with local maritime merchants, resulting the
growing up of Fujian maritime economy and declination of Guangdong trade. (Yan 1993,
pp. 323)
Mingshizong shilu (The True Account of Shizong Empire of Ming Dynasty, !!
&"#!") also recorded the early stage of smuggling trade in Zhangzhou region
in Jiajing (!!) 12th year (1533) of Ming Dynasty:
Zhangzhou merchants illegally built big boats with double masts and arbitrarily equipped
them with !rearm cannons. They smuggled to trade with foreigners. (Zhang and Zhang
1983, pp. 3488–3489)
Because of the decaying of the formal tribute trade seaports of Quanzhou and the
flourishing of the smuggle seaport of Yuegang, the imperial court of Ming Dynasty
lost a great amount of custom tax and the national revenue under the maritime ban
policy. The situation compelled the imperial court to open the maritime navigation
of Yuegang by taxing on the international trade since Longqing (!$) 1st year
(1567). Then the Yuegang grew up to be maritime trade center in Ming territory,
boats from Yuegang sailed out to dozens of foreign states in the East, West, South
and North oceans since late Ming Dynasty (Lin 1987, pp. 176–214). Fujian custom
of!ce (Shibosi) was set up at Yuegang in Kangxi (%!) 23rd year (1684), as one of
the most important seaports along the southeastern coast of China.
Q. Zhou ("#$) said in his Preface of the X. Zhang’s (#") Dongxiyang Kao
(General Survey on the East and West Oceans, !"!"!"):

The maritime ban policy was abolished in 1st year of Longqing (1567) of Muzong (!")
emperor. Then the maritime merchants sailed to oversea countries in the east ocean and
west ocean. A great amount of foreign products and exotic treasure were imported and
hundreds of thousands of money were earned. (Zhang 1981, pp. 17)
Xiamen, known as Amoy and Gulangyu ("##), were two small islands located
at the estuary of Jiulongjiang and geographically lying next to Yuegang seaport.