Page 8 - Export Porcelain and Globakization- GOOD READ
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Ming Emperor Hongzhi sunk around 1500 off the Philippine Island of Busuanga . The
cargo from Jingdezhen was probably on its way to the Ottoman Sultanate and is at
least a very good example of porcelain made according to the Islamic or Western
Asian taste.
From Zhangzhou (漳州), located in Fujian Province nearby Xiamen, underglaze
blue ceramics commonly termed Swatow wares were shipped to South East Asia and
Japan. The Bin Thuan shipwreck, discovered in 2001 off the Vietnamese coast, had a
cargo of thousands of Ming dynasty Swatow ware, and probably got lost around 1608
on its way to the Malay peninsula (plates 28 & 29). For trade with South East Asia the
kilns of Fujian province were as important as the Jingdezhen kilns in Jiangxi for
export products to Europe. Still today many Swatow pieces are unearthed in the
Malay Archipelago.
2. The Beginning of a Globalized World: European – Asian Trade Relations
2.1 The Portuguese
Europe came into contact with Chinese porcelain rather late - in the 16th century.
Porcelain was never transported long distances over land – due to its weight and
fragility. It was only in 1498 that the first European, Vasco da Gama, reached Calicut
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