Page 43 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

Ceramics from the Musi River

point for goods from northern and southern China’. He ports of this period, most probably Guangzhou. Then
considered that the Guangdong pottery may have been travelling to Palembang where it loaded South East Asian
loaded during a stopover at Guangzhou. Palembang was merchandize before sailing on to Java where it was wrecked.
also a known production and distribution site for many Ming-liang (2010) considered that similarity in ceramic
of the spices found on the Intan wreck. Tang dynasty cargo of the Intan Wreck and those found at Palembang,
wares from the Batu Intan wreck were also recorded from Java, Mantai, Banhore, Siraf and other sites suggested
other principal ‘way station’ trading sites in addition that Chinese ceramic exports to South East and West Asia
to those at Palembang and Java, including: Mantai, Sri in the early-9th century typically included a very similar
Lanka; Banbhore, to the east of Karachi; and Siraf on ceramic assemblage. The location of these finds and
the Persian Gulf. Specifically, Tang Dynasty ceramics the route recorded in the Tang dynasty record, written
excavated at Palembang included Yue wares, Changsha by Jia Dan between 785–805, indicated that Sriwijaya at
wares, green-glazed wares from Guangdong kilns, and Palembang was an important reference point for the
north China white wares. And in Java, green-glazed Yue calculation of major navigational routes. As mentioned
wares at Surabaya, while Yue, Changsha, and green-glazed above, Changsha ceramics were major export items in the
Guangdong wares, as well as white wares with green decor 9th century. However while Changsha shards have been
have been found at Jogjakarta. found at many sites in Sumatra and Java few have been
As a consequence of these observations Ming-liang found in Indochina, particularly along its eastern coasts.
(2010) stated, that while he was unable to prove that the This confirms Jia Dan’s records that ships sailing from
Batu Intan did in fact anchor in Palembang, the large Guangzhou headed directly towards Sriwijaya and did not
amount of Chinese ceramics found on it indicate that it make stops along the route in places like Indochina to
sank before reaching its final destination, reckoned to be engage in trading. It was only in Sriwijaya that merchants
the port of Siraf on the Persian Gulf. Where on arrival the engaged in major trading. (The few Changsha wares found
trade goods would be ‘reloaded onto smaller vessels for in Vietnam may have been purchased from the Sriwijaya
transportation to Basra, Baghdad, and other destinations’. warehouses in Palembang.)
Qin & Xiang (2011) consider a more convincing and Archaeological research in West Sumatra yielded an
logical explanation was that the ‘Batu Hitam’ ship actually abundance of Yue Ware shards from the ninth and tenth
came from Middle East and was loaded up with goods in centuries (Manguin 1987). At another site in the same
Palembang and then sank on its way to ‘Heling kingdom’ area near Talang Kikim Sebarang many fragments of late,
in Java. And that the cargoes on board were brought green Tang ware, storage jars and glass beads and iron
to Sriwijaya by different ships coming from Yangzhou, objects were revealed during excavation of a swampy area.
Mingzhou and Guangzhou and warehoused there. Excavation from Barus, North Sumatra, mentioned
The very early Song period (approximately 968) above, have revealed an extensive trading centre, which
shipwreck found off Cirebon, Java Sea, Indonesia was first mentioned in 9th century Arab writings. Some
exhibited a similar complexity of cargoes. Li Min (2007) 17,000 shards of pots have been excavated there dated from
and Liebner (2014) reported on the great variety of objects the 10th to 12th century. These were mainly produced in
salvaged from the wreck which included 350,000 various Guangdong Province at the Xicun and Chaozhou kilns.
ceramics types. The majority of which were green wares But included also sancai and dusun jars and both white
from the Yue kilns and exported from Mingzhou. Others and green ware.
included a small quantity of white wares from Anhui and
Henan, a large quantity of lead coins of Southern Han Five Dynasties (907–960)
dynasty (the capital of which was in Guangzhou) silver With the final collapse of the Tang, China’s southern ports
ingots, batches of copper mirrors and small mouthed fell under the rule of the various quasi-independent realms
ceramic pots. There were also large quantities of tin ingots, of the Shiguo, usually referred to as the Five Dynasties
tin bar shaped coins and tin spears shaped objects from period. Chinese sources available in translation do not
the Malay Peninsula, fine paste ceramic kundika, vessels detail particulars of these polities’ overseas diplomacy
from Thailand, hundreds of perfume bottles from Syria and commerce (Leibner 2014).
or Persian Gulf, a ton of raw material of lapis lazuli from
Afghanistan or Burma, hundreds of rubies and sapphires Northern Song Dynasty (960–1126) and Southern Song
from Sri Lanka and other items. Dashu Qin and Kunpeng Dynasty (1127–1279)
Xiang (2011) reject the possibility that each cargo was The Song were defeated in 1126 by northern Khitan
loaded on board the ship from its place of origin. To have nomads. They immediately fled from the capital at Kaifeng
done so would have required it to visit 10 widely separated to Hangzhou in the south where they established their
sites before it could set sail for the final destination of Java. new ‘southern’ Song court. One immediate requirement
Instead they conclude that this ‘Ceribon’ cargo probably of this court was to repair their State finances that
originated from the Sriwijaya warehouses in Palembang. had been damaged by the loss of income in the north
Leibner (2014), while agreeing that the final port of call and the increased difficulty they had in moving their
was Java, from his close examination of the disposition merchandise to Central Asian markets as a result of
of the cargo on the wreck concluded that it was probably insurrections along that inland route. They achieved this
loaded with the Chinese ware at one of the great Chinese by greatly increasing maritime trade to South East Asia

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