Page 66 - Vol_2_Archaeology of Manila Galleon Seaport Trade

2 The Cultural Change of Kilns and Contents of Export … 33

Haicang, Yuegang and Wuyu in Zhangzhou Bay grew up quickly and became the
main bases for foreign trade at that time. The military suppressing on maritime
smuggles on southeast coast of China commanded by Zhu Wan (#!) of Ming
imperial court destroyed most of private maritime trade seaports at Shuangyu,
Wuyu and Meiling, while Yuegang survived and existed independently and thrived
gradually later. The prosperity of Yuegang prompted the development of the
neighboring seaports such as Anhai in the northeast of Zhangzhou Bay in Jiajing
period, at which a large number of blue and white porcelains from Jingdezhen were
unearthed and showed us the private trade situation of this Blank Period (!!$)
controlled by sea ban policy in Ming Dynasty.
In addition to the transportation and export of Jingdezhen porcelains during this
Blank Period, imitations of Jingdezhen wares had also been produced in the areas
not far from these seaports on the southeast coast of China. In the late Ming
Dynasty, the porcelain industry of the Zhangzhou Kiln (!!") emerged at Pinghe
($!) and Nanjing (!!) counties near Yuegang seaport. Some scholars have
pointed out that the Zhangzhou Kiln should have started its ceramic industry in
Jiajing period and might be related to Portugal’s early smuggling trade at Yuegang
and Wuyu seaports. According to the latest kiln sites’ survey, the production of blue
and white porcelains of Jiajing period were found in the kiln sites of Zhangzhou,
Anxi, and Yongchun (#!) in Fujian, represented by blue and white porcelains
decorated with embossed dots in line, simple flowers and birds pattern (Fig. 2.3).
Similar style porcelains were also found on the shipwreck of San Isidro in northern
Manila (Dizon and Orillaneda 2002: 218–220) and other sites in the Philippines

Fig. 2.3 The early blue and white porcelains from Anxi county of southern Fujian