Page 68 - Vol_2_Archaeology of Manila Galleon Seaport Trade

2 The Cultural Change of Kilns and Contents of Export … 35

more than half a century, based on the traditional navigation system between
mainland southeast China and Philippines carried out by the merchants of south
Fujian in pre-Ming and early Ming dynasties. The East Asian cargoes of Manila
galleon for America and Europe was mainly from mainland southeast China via
Yuegang. According to the historical documents, the Spanish merchants had
actively encouraged Chinese junks to trade in Manila since the beginning of galleon
navigation. The Manila galleon trade across the Paci!c was gradually stabilized and
flourished continuously for more than half a century, promoting the rising and
flourishing of export ceramic kilns around Yuegang in 16–17th centuries.
Zhangzhou Kiln porcelains as a substitute for Jingdezhen porcelains made up for
the shortage of oversea markets.
At the same time when Spanish connected with the Philippines and East Asia
market, Portuguese also carried out a large-scale and long-distance global trade
based on Macao as the largest commodity distribution center in East Asia then. The
Portuguese trade network went north to Japan, south to southeast Asia, and west
across the Indian Ocean to Middle East and Europe. The Manila galleon trade was
in fact integrated in their trade network of East Asia. It was recorded in the doc-
uments that “the textiles products of Far East were mainly shipped to India, Middle
East and Europe. The porcelains were mainly traded in southeast Asian seaports
such as Champa, Siam, Brunei and Indonesia, more re!ned ones shipped to India
and Persia through the Strait of Hormuz, some of which were also shipped to East
Africa, while the best ones were shipped to the market of Lisbon” (Teixeira 1994:
195–219). This information reveals the strategy of Portuguese maritime trade and
entre-pot trade controlled by them in Asia.
During this early stage of European global trade network, Dutch also involved in
east Asian trade competition with Portuguese, Spanish and Chinese maritime
merchants of southeast coast of China. In 1609, the Dutch East Indian Company
(VOC) opened its !rst business quarter in Hirado of Japan, then blocked maritime
trade at Manila and attacked Macao aiming to control the direct trade with China.
Due to the leading role of Zhangzhou Bay in connecting the trade of mainland
China with the oversea region, the Dutch also tried to blockade Yuegang. They
attacked the Zhongzuosuo (##", now Xiamen) which was the gateway of
Yuegang at Haicheng county, and pillaged the Chinese junks sailing for the Manila
trade. After occupying Dayuan ("", now Tainan) of Taiwan, the Dutch not only
expected Chinese maritime merchants to carry silk and other goods to Dayuan, but
also hired Chinese junks to sail to the estuary of Zhangzhou river to purchase their
cargoes.
Therefore, a new international maritime trade system participated by Chinese
merchants, especially those of Zhangzhou in South Fujian, Spanish, Portuguese,
Dutch and other maritime ethnicities had been established in eastern Asia, north-
ward to Japan, and southward to southeast Asia including Thailand, Vietnam,
Cambodia, and etc. during the 16–17th centuries. In this new maritime cultural
order, the oceanic region of Zhangzhou Bay centralized at Yuegang seaport played
an important role as the main gateway of the most maritime cargo trade between
mainland China and oversea regions. In addition to the traditional ceramic products