Page 95 - Vol_2_Archaeology of Manila Galleon Seaport Trade

62 C. Zhou

Hanjiang River (Xue and Liu 1995). A large amount of high quality exported
porcelains have been investigated in the tombs sites of Guangchang, Huichang and
Ningdu counties along these outbound routes, showing the transportation history of
Jingdezhen exported ceramic to the coast of Yuegang during Wanli ("", AD
1572–1620) period (Yao 1990; Xue and Liu 1985; JXPCRT 1982).
This new transportation lasted for half century till the early 17th century when
Yuegang seaport declined after another sea ban period of early Qing Dynasty for
against Zheng Chenhgong’s (!#", Koxinga) maritime group in southeastern
coast of China. After then, the Jingdezhen exported porcelains were transported
along the traditional outbound routes again to other seaports such as Canton ($!,
Guangzhou), Fuzhou and Nanking (!* Nanjing).
The underwater archaeology in the Haitan (!") strait of central coast of Fujian
province in last decade revealed a few shipwrecks that loaded with Jingdezhen
exported porcelains dating from the middle of Ming Dynasty to Qing Dynasty,
showing the development and continuing of the traditional transportation of
Jingdezhen ceramics to coastal seaports (Li 2012). For example, the Laoniujiao (!
"$) and Jiuliang ()") shipwrecks loaded with Jingdezhen blue and white
porcelains of the middle and late Ming Dynasty, Wanjiao (!$) No. I shipwreck
loaded with 17,000 pieces of Jingdezhen porcelains of the Kangxi period of Qing
Dynasty (UATWJ 2006), indicating the possibility of these traditional outbound
routes from Jingdezhen to Nanking, Ningbo, and Fuzhou seaports had prospered for
quite a long period. The same situation happened along transportation route to
Guangzhou which boomed and prospered in Qing Dynasty. Various kinds of
Chinese wares including Guangcai porcelain ($", Jingdezhen white porcelain
with Guangdong painted decoration for export), Wengzhang porcelain (#!,
armorial pattern porcelain) and Fengcai porcelain ("", soft colors decoration)
manufactured in Jingdezhen kiln ordered by the customers had been exported to
Europe from Guangzhou seaport.

3.3.3 Reconstruction of Sea Route of Nan’ao
No. I Shipwreck

Nan’ao No. I shipwreck represented the new maritime trade route between the East
and West, sailing from mainland southeastern China to Philippines archipelagoes
and linking the Manila galleon route to America and Europe.
The traditional maritime trade routes across the South China Sea and the Indian
Ocean originated in Tang dynasty. “Guangzhou Tonghai Yidao” ($!%!#",
the maritime routes of Guangzhou to overseas states) described by Jiadan (#") in
Tang Dynasty presented the sea route setting out from Guangzhou, crossing the
South China Sea, stopping at seaport of Java, passing the Malacca strait, getting to
Sri Lanka, India and eastern Africa along the coast of Indian Ocean. After the
globalization since the late 15th century, the early maritime transportation between