Page 58 - Vol_2_Archaeology of Manila Galleon Seaport Trade

24 C. Wu

been the powerful maritime commercial group in the Eastern Ocean during late
Ming and early Qing dynasty, whose navigation was recorded in detail in the
famous nautical guide book Zhinan Zhengfa cited in front page of this chapter. The
ceramic artifacts from the site include bowls, plates, dishes and cups of blue and
white porcelain, most of them are daily necessities. Most of the porcelains were the
products of Zhangzhou kiln system as Dongkou and Erlong kiln of Pinghe county,
Huotian kiln of Yunxiao, Xiuzhuan kiln of Zhao’an, and other kilns in Hua’an and
Dehua counties("-) (Liu 2012). Firearms including iron cannons and gun powder
were uncovered not only at the beach as a part of camp and wharf of Gongkou, but
also underwater shipwreck. Both of them reflect the Portuguese or Spanish influ-
ence and maritime cultural contact between Koxinga commercial group and
European navigators. A bronze tobacco pipe from the site which the !rst to be
discovered in China also reveals the history of cultural interaction between Eastern
Asia and New Spain by the Yuegang-Manila and galleon navigation (DGUAT
2003; Jie and Zhao 2005; Li and Sun 2005; Liu 2012).
Royal Captain shipwreck II near to Palawan island in Philippines was investi-
gated by French expedition team “World Wide First” in 1985 and identi!ed as a
Chinese junk of Ming Dynasty. 3768 pieces of artifacts were salvaged and most of
them were ceramics plates, dishes, bowls, cups, covered boxes, pots and vases with
blue and white decoration patterns of chrysanthemum, cloud, grass, human !gures,
!sh and Chinese characters of Fu (!, fortune) and Long (!, dragon). These
ceramics were the products of Dongkou kiln in Zhangzhou and Jingdezhen kiln in
Jiangxi of Wanli (*', 1573–1620) period of Ming Dynasty. Others salvages
include painted glass beads, bronze gongs, iron bars and Chinese bronze coins.
According to the analysis on the origin of these cargoes, the shipwreck could also
be the junk remain of Yuegang-Manila navigation from southeastern Fujian
(Goddio 1988).

1.3 Conclusion

Historical documents described Yuegang as an intermediate segment in the suc-
cessively developing series of ancient seaports of the southeastern China and its
trading with Spanish galleons in Philippines during late Ming and early Qing
dynasties.
The archaeological investigations reveal a series of historical heritages of ancient
Yuegang seaport such as wharf, harbor landscape and ceramic kilns as the main
origin of Spanish galleon cargoes, and Chinese junk shipwrecks along the
Yuegang-Manila sea route in East Ocean. These discoveries have proved the his-
tory of Yuegang seaport as the main transferring terminals of galleon cargoes in
mainland of eastern Asia and the key maritime center of social-cultural contact of
mainland of eastern Asia with early maritime globalizing network.
Yuegang hinterland region in the watershed of lower reach of Jiulongjiang river
had been the main origin of industrial products of Kraak ceramics, agricultural