Page 65 - Vol_2_Archaeology of Manila Galleon Seaport Trade

32 M. Liu

Fig. 2.2 Jingdezhen porcelains of Mid Ming Dynasty discovered at Anhai port of Fujian

artifacts of this period were discovered at the shipwrecks of Pingtan ($$) in
Fujian, Xisha islands (!'!#) (Zhao 2012: 176–178) and Huawanping site
("!"!#) of Shangchuan island (Huang and Huang 2007: 78–88) in
Guangdong. The ceramics content of “Xuande” (#!) shipwreck discovered in the
southeast Asian seas (Brown 2009: 155–158) provides direct evidence of these
smuggling trade activities of Portuguese merchant ships in East Asia before
occupying Macao. Along with these smuggling trades, the Portuguese contacted
and cooperated intimately with Chinese private merchants in southeastern China,
especially those from Fujian. According to historical documents, “taking the
advantage of the southeast monsoon in March and April of each year, the ships of
Portuguese merchants tended to Fujian ocean and stopped at the old Wuyu island,
they sailed to Yuegang to collect cargoes, or induced the local merchants in
Zhangzhou and Quanzhou to trade with them.” (Liao 2009: 87–100) During this
period of Portuguese trade at Yuegang and Wuyu, the smuggling transportation
channel from Jingdezhen to Yuegang had been created.
Encountering with the Portuguese, the private business activities in the southeast
coast of China were gradually accumulating in early 16th century. In the border
region between Fujian and Guangdong, the pirate maritime groups in Zhangzhou
and Chaozhou formed and mastered the trade in the South China Sea (Xu and Xu
2013: 5–13). In this area, Yuegang had gradually developed to be the famous
flourishing maritime commercial center during the Chenghua (!$) and Hongzhi
periods. Portuguese document also recorded that all of the Chinese junks traded in
Malacca came from Zhangzhou in the 16th century (Chen 2017: 86–126). After the
revocation of the shipping administration of!ce (Shibosi) (%#&) in Fujian and
Zhejiang in early Jiajing (!!) period, illegal private maritime commerce at