More than 2,000 years ago, a Maritime Silk Road starting from ports such as Xuwen Port and Hepu Port in China established a global trade network. The Maritime Silk Road runs from the southeastern coast of China, through the Indochina Peninsula and the South China Sea countries, a

西行

西行 is the media with the most comprehensive information on more than 60 countries and regions along the Belt and Road. The Belt and Road Initiative includes the Overland Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road. More than 2,000 years ago, a Maritime Silk Road starting from ports such as Xuwen Port and Hepu Port in China established a global trade network.

The Maritime Silk Road runs from the southeastern coast of China, through Indochina and the South China Sea countries, through the Indian Ocean, into the Red Sea, and reaches East Africa and Europe. It has become a major maritime channel for trade and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, and has promoted trade and cultural exchanges along the route. common development of all countries. In the Tang Dynasty, there was a maritime route called "Guangzhou Tonghai Yi Road" on the southeast coast of my country. This was the earliest name for my country's Maritime Silk Road.

During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, China's shipbuilding and navigation technology greatly improved, as well as the use of compasses in navigation, which comprehensively improved the voyage capabilities of merchant ships. During this period, China had direct “Maritime Silk Road” trade relations with more than 60 countries in the world.

The Maritime Silk Road in China mainly consists of three main ports: Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Ningbo and other feeder ports. Since the 1930s, Guangzhou has become the main port of the Maritime Silk Road. During the Tang and Song dynasties, Guangzhou became China's largest port. In the early Ming and early Qing dynasties, sea restrictions were imposed, and Guangzhou was in a "one port for trade" situation for a long time. It is the only large port in the history of world maritime transportation that has remained prosperous for more than 2,000 years.

From the late Song Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, Quanzhou became the largest port in China, and was known as the "largest port in the world" together with Alexandria in Egypt. Later, it declined due to the maritime ban in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Quanzhou is the only maritime port recognized by UNESCO. The starting point of the Silk Road; in the early Eastern Han Dynasty, the Ningbo area had already had contacts with Japan. By the Tang Dynasty, it had become one of China's major ports. During the Song Dynasty, the foreign trade ports in the north were successively occupied by the Liao and Jin Dynasties, or were affected by wars. , a large amount of foreign trade was transferred to Ningbo.

History of the Silk Road

" Silk Road " was proposed by German geomorphological geologist Richthofen in 1877. It originally referred to the China-West land passage. It was named because the main trade was silk. After this name appeared, the academic community extended the Maritime Silk Road. The first person to propose the Maritime Silk Road was the French sinologist Chavan (1865-1918).

The development process of the Maritime Silk Road can be roughly divided into five historical stages: the formation period of the Maritime Silk Road - Qin and Han Dynasties; the development period of the Maritime Silk Road - Wei and Jin Dynasties; the prosperous period of the Maritime Silk Road - Sui and Tang Dynasties; The heyday of the Silk Road - the Song and Yuan Dynasties; the prosperity and decline of the Maritime Silk Road - the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

route: sailing from Guangzhou or Quanzhou, passing through Hainan Island, Huan Kingdom (in today's Vietnam), Mendu Kingdom, Guda Kingdom, Dragon Yamen, Luoyue Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Heling Kingdom, Gu Luo Kingdom, Goguluo Kingdom, Shengdeng Kingdom, Bolu Kingdom, Lion Kingdom, Nantianzhu, Brahman Kingdom, Xindu River, Tiroluhe Kingdom, Ula Kingdom, Dashi Kingdom, Moro Kingdom, and Sanlan Kingdom. At the same time, Tang people immigrated overseas during the Tang Dynasty. Among them, the Lin family from South Korea went to Pengcheng, Hui'an, Quanzhou in 2001 to find their roots and pay homage to their ancestors, which became a legend. The ancestor of the Lin family from Tang Dynasty crossed the sea to South Korea and has reproduced 1.2 million people to this day.

The fifteenth to eighteenth centuries were an era of major changes in human history. Europeans successively carried out global maritime expansion activities, especially the great geographical discoveries, which opened the Age of Discovery and ushered in a new era of global maritime trade. The maritime expansion of Western European merchants has changed the peaceful trade-based characteristics of the traditional Maritime Silk Road. Commercial activities are often accompanied by the smoke of war and armed robbery.

During this period, the Maritime Silk Road routes of the Ming Dynasty had expanded to the world: Zheng He, who sailed westward, made seven voyages to the Western Ocean: This was a large-scale sailing activity organized by the Ming Dynasty government and reached 39 countries and regions in Asia and Africa. Later, it played a leading role in Vasco da Gama's opening of local routes from Europe to India, and in Magellan's circumnavigation of the world. The eastward sailing "Guangzhou-Latin America Route" (1575): sailed from Guangzhou, sailed to the sea via Macau, and arrived at the Port of Manila in the Philippines. It enters the Pacific Ocean through the San Bernardino Strait and travels eastward to the west coast of Mexico.In this way, the Maritime Silk Road started in the Han Dynasty, became increasingly developed through the Tang, Song, and Yuan Dynasties, and reached its peak in the Ming Dynasty. The success of Zheng He's voyage marked the peak period of the development of the Maritime Silk Road.

The main port of the Maritime Silk Road

Guangzhou

Guangzhou was known as Panyu City in ancient times. Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, it has benefited from the mountains and seas. It controls the Pearl River and the three rivers that flow into the sea. The geographical and geographical conditions where the sea and land intersect have made Guangzhou the geographical location of Lingnan and even the Guangdong and Guangxi regions for two thousand years. center. The status of the geographical center and the distinctive maritime attributes made Guangzhou, as the "southern gate" of China, the port where merchant ships from countries such as the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea must arrive first to trade with China. Therefore, at that time, China had regular routes with the Southeast Asian and Persian Gulf regions. They are all concentrated in Guangzhou, which was called "Guangzhou Tonghai Yi Road" in ancient times.

Guangzhou has become the main port of the Maritime Silk Road since the 1930s. It became China's largest port during the Tang and Song Dynasties and is a world-famous Oriental port city. It was China's only major foreign trade port during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the most important port in the history of China's Maritime Silk Road, and the only major port in the history of world maritime traffic that has been prosperous for more than 2,000 years. It can be called the "enduring maritime Silk Road" The Birthplace of the Road to the East.” From the late Song Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, Guangzhou's position as China's largest port was replaced by Quanzhou, but Guangzhou was still China's second largest port.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, due to the government's policy of maritime ban. During this period, Guangzhou became the only major trade port open to the outside world on China's Maritime Silk Road. Guangzhou's Maritime Silk Road trade achieved greater development than that of the Tang and Song dynasties, forming an unprecedented global circulation trade that continued and maintained until the Opium War. Last but not least. During this period, the number of Maritime Silk Road routes starting from Guangzhou rapidly increased to 7, reaching 7 continents and more than 160 countries and regions in the world.

Quanzhou

Quanzhou, nicknamed "zaitun" in the West. During the peak period of the Maritime Silk Road (12th to 14th centuries), it was also a period when ancient China played a dominant role in Sino-foreign trade. Quanzhou was a city between the East and the West. The eastern support point of the international trade network occupies an important and unique historical position and was the world's economic and cultural center at that time. In Marco Polo's travels, Quanzhou Port was known as the largest port in the East. Columbus, who was deeply influenced by Marco Polo's travels, was determined to find a new route to the East. When he accidentally discovered America, he thought he had finally arrived in Quanzhou.

At the turn of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Pu Shougeng, who was in charge of Quanzhou Port, and the local political forces he represented surrendered and rebelled against the Song Dynasty and surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty. He dedicated the city and sea ships to the Yuan army to attack the remaining Song army, and accelerated the destruction of the Song Dynasty in Yashan, Guangdong. Pu Shougeng's initiative to betray the Song Dynasty and surrender to the Yuan Dynasty was despised, but objectively it saved Quanzhou Port from war and maintained prosperity. Later, the Pu family prompted the Yuan Dynasty to confer Mazu the title of Heavenly Concubine and become the new Quanzhou Poseidon, and later the national Poseidon.

In the Yuan Dynasty, the first main port of the Maritime Silk Road was still Quanzhou. However, the ethnic hierarchy in the Yuan Dynasty was cruel. Mongols were the first class, Semu people were the second class, and Han people were the lowest class. This made the actual rights and interests of Quanzhou Port fall into In the hands of the Semu Arabs, ethnic conflicts have become unprecedentedly acute. In the late Yuan Dynasty, the central court's power struggle affected this port, the most important port at stake, resulting in a ten-year military rebellion in Yisifahang, which severely damaged Quanzhou Port.

In the 10th year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty (1474), the Quanzhou Shipping Department moved to Fuzhou, marking the end of Quanzhou Port's status as a foreign trade port for four hundred years.

In the Qing Dynasty, due to the influence of Zheng Chenggong's war against the Qing Dynasty and the restoration of the Ming Dynasty and the maritime ban and relocation, Quanzhou's social economy was severely damaged, and the prosperity of the port disappeared. A large number of people began to leave their hometowns in order to make a living and went to Southeast Asia to cross Taiwan, making Quanzhou today the number one hometown of overseas Chinese in China and the main ancestral home of Taiwanese compatriots. The prosperity of Quanzhou Port disappeared, and it declined to obscurity and unknown to the public. Throughout the 19th century, Western scholars debated the whereabouts of the zaitun (Erythrina japonicus), which was once extremely prosperous in the 12th to 14th centuries and was much talked about in the West. It was not until the Japanese scholar Kuwahara Zangzang's Pu Shougeng Kao came out in 1918 that it was concluded that zaitun was Quanzhou.

The jurisdiction of ancient Quanzhou Prefecture includes today's Quanzhou, Xiamen, Kinmen, Diaoyu Islands, Penghu and Taiwan. In ancient times, Quanzhou Port was known as "Four Bays and Sixteen Ports". "Four Bays": Quanzhou Bay, Shenhu Bay , Weitou Bay , and Meizhou Bay. Each bay has four branches, thus forming this famous Maritime Silk Road port. With the approval of the central government, the Maritime Silk Road International Art Festival, jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the Fujian Provincial People's Government, will be held every two years and permanently settled in Quanzhou City.

Ningbo

Ningbo, known as Mingzhou in ancient times. Located at the terminal of China's north-south shipping route, it connects to the river and the sea and radiates inland. The East Zhejiang Canal connects Ningbo to the Qiantang River. After the opening of the Grand Canal in the Sui Dynasty, the East Zhejiang Canal became a natural extension of the Grand Canal, thus forming a complete north-south water movement. Ningbo became the outlet of the Grand Canal. . Through many water systems such as the Qiantang River, the Yangtze River, and the Grand Canal, the radiation power of Ningbo Port has expanded to many inland provinces.

Ningbo’s overseas transportation began in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. During this period, imported products and Indian Buddhism had spread to the Ningbo area via sea routes. In the first year of Tang Changqing's reign (821), Mingzhou was moved to Sanjiangkou, and a series of major measures were taken to build a state city, build a port, set up a government shipyard, and build the Hangzhou-Ningbo Canal, making Mingzhou the most developed port and shipbuilding area in China. One of the four famous ports. Japanese envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty landed in Mingzhou four times and entered the Tang Dynasty. The Mingzhou business group rose, and Yue kiln celadon was sold all over the world. China's East China Sea route mainly enters and leaves the port from Ningbo.

During the Ming Dynasty, Ningbo Port declined due to the sea ban. However, Ningbo Port was still the only port of landing for Sino-Japanese official trade. The Ming sea ban forced overseas trade to transform into smuggling private trade. Ningbo Shuangyu Port was once the largest port in Zhejiang and even Jiangnan. private trading port. Zhejiang Customs located in Ningbo during the Qing Dynasty was one of the four largest customs in the country at that time.

Nanjing

From the 3rd to the 6th century AD, in order to establish friendly exchanges with the Korean Peninsula and Japanese archipelago countries, the Six Dynasty regimes formed the East China Sea route starting from Jiankang (today's Nanjing), which opened up and strengthened the relationship between China and East Asian countries. cultural exchange. It was at this time that Buddhist scriptures and even Buddhist temple architecture were introduced from Jiankang to Baekje (South Korea) and Waguo (Japan).

In the 15th century, Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas in the Ming Dynasty made Nanjing the shipbuilding base and departure port for Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas, witnessing the final glory of the Maritime Silk Road. Nanjing was the origin, starting point and destination of Zheng He's voyages to the West, as well as the gathering place for materials and personnel. Emperor Yongle built the Tianfei Palace and Jinghai Temple in recognition of his mission to the West, as well as the large-scale government shipbuilding base Longjiang Bao Shipyard built for the voyage and other historical relics to witness this maritime feat.

Fuzhou

Fuzhou (Hong Kong), as one of the important starting points of the "Maritime Silk Road" in ancient China, initiated and established the foreign trade pattern, promoted the prosperity and development of China's Maritime Silk Road, and became the bridge between China and overseas cultural exchanges and commerce. An important channel for communication.

The Fuzhou Maritime Silk Road not only played a historical role as an economic and trade channel between China and foreign countries from the mid-Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties, but also promoted multicultural exchanges between the East and the West and friendly exchanges with countries around the world. In terms of Buddhist cultural exchanges, the ruling class of Fujian in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties highly praised Buddhism. The number of temples and monks ranked among the top in the country. Many famous Buddhist temples (such as Xuefeng Temple, etc.) and eminent monks (Shenyan, Shibei, Changqing) appeared. Huileng, etc.), occupy an important position in the history of Chinese Buddhism. During this period, Fujian had frequent Buddhist cultural exchanges with India, Korea, Japan and other countries, mainly reflected in the fact that many foreign monks came to Fuzhou to study and exchange Buddhism.

Yangzhou

From a spatial geographical perspective, the Grand Canal connects the "Land Silk Road" and the "Maritime Silk Road". Because of its key position in China's water and land transportation network, the Grand Canal has long been the "main international transportation route in the Eastern world."Yangzhou has become the connection point between the "Land Silk Road" and the "Maritime Silk Road" by virtue of its unique position among the cities along the Grand Canal and the role of the Grand Canal in the national transportation system.

With the convenience of river, river and sea transportation, Yangzhou established its status as a national water and land transportation hub in the Sui Dynasty. The national economic center of the Tang Dynasty moved southward, and the "Maritime Silk Road" rose accordingly. Yangzhou became the Tang Dynasty's main window for connecting the world. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, Yangzhou still played a role as a link. Yangzhou is a water transportation and north-south material distribution center. In the mid-8th century, its commercial and economic status ranked first in the country.

Zhangzhou

During the maritime ban in the Ming Dynasty, private overseas trade was forced to transform into smuggling private trade. As the official port of the Song and Yuan dynasties, Quanzhou Port was subject to strict control and suppression. Smuggling could only be carried out in small coastal ports. Although the government clearly stated the sea ban, it was unable to control it due to the interests of local officials. It often adopted a conniving policy. In the end, private trade gradually concentrated in Zhangzhou port .

Yuegang is 20 kilometers southeast of Zhangzhou City and 80 kilometers north of Quanzhou City. Yuegang is an inland port with a not deep harbor channel. Its harbor channel starts from Haicheng Port and goes eastward along Nangang, passing through Haimen Island only reached Guiyu at the mouth of the Jiulong River, and then passed through today's Xiamen Island before heading out to sea. Precisely because the natural conditions of Yuegang Harbor, such as the shallow water and the inability of large ships to dock, are very convenient to control the "opening" to the extent that it can be controlled, managed and inspected by the government, Yuegang soon became the largest port on the southeast coast. Private merchant port. When the Western commercial expansion forces moved eastward to Wuyu Island, private merchants from the mainland could go to the Western commercial strongholds offshore to conduct transactions through Yuegang.

1567, the first year of Longqing, the Ming court, under internal and external pressure, lifted the maritime ban and opened Yuegang to "permit trade in the East and West." Yuegang finally got its name corrected, ushering in the Yuegang era of China's overseas trade. It has been nearly 200 years since Yuegang rose to prosperity. The Yuegang era coincided with the period of expansion after the Great Navigation of Western Europe. It had direct trade with 47 countries and regions such as Southeast Asia, the Indochina Peninsula, Korea, Ryukyu, and Japan, and used Luzon (Philippines) as a transit point to trade with Spain and the Netherlands. The expansionist forces of Western Europe and other countries traded with each other, occupying an important position in the history of China's foreign trade.

Penglai

Penglai (Dengzhou) was a natural harbor before the Tang Dynasty. In the second year of Qingli in the Song Dynasty (1042), the "Saury Fish Village" was built. In the ninth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1376), the Penglai Water City was built. The Penglai Pavilion in the water city is here. During this period, it was gradually expanded and then became famous. Penglai Water City and Penglai Pavilion as a whole fully reflect the important role played by the ancient Dengzhou Port in the process of foreign exchanges.

Penglai (Dengzhou), with its superior geographical location, has become a link connecting Northeast Asia for exchanges and has been valued by governments of all dynasties. According to the available information, there are 65 records of envoys from the DPRK and Japan landing in Dengzhou in the past dynasties. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the "Silla Pavilion" and the "Korea Pavilion" were set up here to receive envoys coming to the DPRK by water.

Lianyungang

Lianyungang was called Haizhou in ancient times. From 219 BC to 210 BC, in order to seek the elixir of immortality, Qin Shihuang sent the alchemist Xu Fu to lead thousands of boys and girls and hundreds of workers to travel eastward to Japan at Guqu Port in Langya County. , which was the first recorded voyage by the Chinese.

After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Haizhou became an important city for the Tang Empire to interact with Silla and Japan. A large number of Silla people who were engaged in maritime trade established the Silla Office and Silla Village in Sucheng, Lianyungang today. Lianyungang became an indispensable link in the busy maritime transportation line at that time. After the Qing Dynasty unified Taiwan, Yuntai Mountain (today's Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province), Guangzhou, Zhangzhou, Ningbo, and four other places were designated as foreign trade ports in the 23rd year of Kangxi's reign, known as the "Four Ports of Trade".

Xuwen

Xuwen County is the earliest birthplace of the Maritime Silk Road in the Han Dynasty. According to "Hanshu Geography", Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent people to the sea from the ports of Xuwen (today's Xuwen, Guangdong) and Hepu (today's Hepu, Guangxi), passing through Rinan County (today's Vietnam) and traveling westward along the coastline to Huangzhiguo (today's Huangzhiguo) in India) and no longer in the country (today's Sri Lanka). The main items brought with the ship were silk, gold and other items.These silks were then resold through India to Central Asia, West Asia, and Mediterranean countries. This is the earliest record of the "Maritime Silk Road". The discovery of the "Long Live Wadang" in Xuwen and the fact that non-royal buildings could not be used without permission show the high level of officials stationed in Xuwen during the Han Dynasty. The Leizhou Peninsula region has always been an important node on the Maritime Silk Road.

Beihai

Beihai (Hepu) has a long history of opening up to the outside world. Beihai (Hepu) has been established as Hepu County since the sixth year of Yuanding in the Western Han Dynasty (111 BC). It was the center and hub of external maritime trade in the South China Sea during the Han Dynasty, and was an important window for opening up to the outside world in southern China. The unique geographical location made Beihai an important gateway for Sino-foreign trade more than two thousand years ago and an important node of the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

Yizhou

During the Han Dynasty, Yunnan could travel by water along the Irrawaddy River and sail out of the Bay of Bengal to India. Connected to the Indian Ocean shipping lanes. "Wei Lue·Xirong Biography" records that the Great Qin State waterway leads to Yizhou Yongchang County , and should land on the coast of Myanmar and reach Yongchang. The description of places east of the east coast of India in "The Voyage of the Eritrean Sea" can also confirm this route. Merchants exchanged famous products such as Chinese silk for Burmese gems, jade, and kapok; Indian rhino horns, ivory, and European gold and other treasures.

The main routes of the Maritime Silk Road

include the East China Sea route and the South China Sea route . The East China Sea route mainly goes to the Japanese Islands and the Korean Peninsula, and the South China Sea route mainly goes to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean region. Before the Song Dynasty, the East China Sea route mainly entered and departed from Ningbo, while the South China Sea route mainly entered and departed from Guangzhou.

South China Sea Route Arab Dominance Period

In the process of forming the Maritime Silk Road, Arabia was the most critical founder. The western end of the Silk Road, whether by land or sea, was not what we call the West or Western Europe today. There were no direct commercial exchanges between the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty. All transactions between the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty were conducted through Arab and other middlemen. Western Europeans who wanted to obtain Chinese silk and porcelain had to go through Arab and Venetian Genoese merchants.

Chinese history books call the Arab Empire a great food country. There are basically Arab merchants in all the port cities on the ancient Seven Seas route. Their ships can be seen in the entire known sea area of ​​the old world, from the Mediterranean Sea to the South China Sea. The Tang Dynasty called these distant sea ships "South China Sea Ships", "Western Region Ships", "Nanman Ships" and "Kunlun Ships" , "Lion Ship" or "Bolo Ship", the most common are collectively called "Persian Ship". Before the mid-Song Dynasty, Chinese merchants or monks mostly took "Fan ships" to go overseas. This did not change until China's navigation industry surpassed the Arab world in the mid-to-late Song Dynasty.

Arab merchants spanned the vast inland and oceans, transporting goods between the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. Even the Europeans who later made great voyages, most of their navigation technology and the sextants and compasses equipped on their ships came from the Arabs. When sailing on the ocean, you need to know the direction of sailing and the position of the ship. This requires the Chinese compass and the Arabs' "latitude navigation" technology. The Chinese relied on compasses and landforms, water depths, etc. for navigation, which was a geological navigation; the Arabs relied on observing stars for navigation, which was an astronomical navigation. After long-term contact with the Arabs on the Maritime Silk Road, they learned from each other's strengths. Later, Chinese navigation consisted of observing astronomical phenomena and looking at the compass. Combined.

The South China Sea Route was dominated by China.

Before the mid-Song Dynasty, the imperial court did not encourage Chinese businessmen to go overseas, and even banned Chinese businessmen from going overseas for a time. It was a passive international trade. At this time, in the vast ocean world, Arab merchants still controlled the advantage. Later, the Song court began to support and encourage due to reasons such as dependence on trade revenue. The combined efforts of the state and commercial forces enabled Chinese maritime merchants to successfully participate in the maritime trade monopolized by Arabs and surpass them. Over the next few hundred years, Here, an era was created in which China dominated international trade and basically monopolized shipping from China to India.

Stavrianos' " Global History " describes the world picture of China during the Song and Yuan Dynasties as follows: "During the Song Dynasty, the Chinese made great progress in shipbuilding and navigation. At the end of the 12th century, began to replace the maritime superiority of Muslims in East Asia and Southeast Asia. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, China's ships were the largest and best equipped; Chinese merchants were spread throughout Southeast Asia and Indian ports... China's import and export trade situation is also noteworthy, indicating that during this time, China occupies a dominant position in the world economy. "

During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Eurasia launched unprecedented exchanges of goods and technologies. The oceans extend in all directions, and technology and markets, raw materials and commodities, living customs and religious beliefs, ideas and art communicate and influence each other, from Japan and Korea in Northeast Asia, to Southeast Asia and the coast of India, and even to ports in the Persian Gulf and East Africa. , an active maritime silk trade network of "mini-globalization" has been formed. Merchant ships sailed thousands of miles. Looking back at the mainland of China, it is a huge supply base for silk, porcelain, tea and other products. These products, which are popular with foreign merchants, passed through the carriages and horses. , boats, hand-carrying, shoulder-carrying, gathered at various ports on the coastline, and then loaded onto large ships for shipment overseas... At the same time, the commercial revolution that took place within the Song Dynasty's huge economy strongly supported the Song Dynasty's transformation into a feudal society throughout China. The richest dynasty in the social stage - the Southern Song Dynasty, the urbanization rate, science and technology and commerce were the highest peaks in ancient China.

The South China Sea Route was dominated by the Mongol Yuan.

To the rise of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, the vast territory of the Yuan Dynasty bordered Byzantium (Eastern Roman Empire) for the first time, allowing Europeans to directly communicate and trade with the Chinese through the curtain of the Arabs for the first time. The sea and land routes were all open, so it was no accident that Marco Polo came and returned by land and sea. Since the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty implemented a four-class ethnic policy in China, with the Han people being the lowest class, the dominant power actually fell into the hands of the Semu people in China, such as the Arab Pu family in Quanzhou. The rise of the Yuan Dynasty allowed Europeans to trade directly with the East. Marco Polo's travels further aroused Europeans' passionate yearning for the Golden East and had a huge impact on the opening of new shipping routes in the future.

The collapse of the Yuan Dynasty and the rise of the Ottoman Turks once again formed a Muslim curtain to the east of the Europeans. All these obstacles forced Europeans to eagerly search for new routes to the East, which led to the great geographical discovery and the great voyage to Western Europe. European geographical discoveries and the Renaissance.

The South China Sea Route was dominated by Western Europe.

In the 15th century, the Spanish and Portuguese countries began to attempt to bypass the Mediterranean route controlled by Italy and the Ottoman Empire and the old Silk Road. They wanted to connect South Asia and East Asia via sea routes, hoping to obtain silk from them. Road trade for greater profits.

When the Portuguese, the pioneers of Western European navigation, rounded the Cape of Good Hope and relied on their armed fleets to defeat the free and unarmed Arab merchants who used to trade with the East, they finally reached the South China Sea. Not long after Zheng He's voyages to the West were suspended, the Ming Dynasty During the maritime ban, the power vacuum left in the Asian waters after the disappearance of Zheng He's fleet made the Portuguese expansion forces from afar invincible to control the maritime dominance and develop trade. The arrival of the Portuguese fleet was the beginning of modern Western expansion. A Western-dominated world economic and political order will begin to take shape, and the pattern of strength and weakness between the East and the West will begin to reverse.

The Northeast Asia Silk Road

refers to the land route from the Hexi Corridor to Monan to Northeast Asia. The sea route refers to the Silk Road from Jiangnan - Beijing - Kaiyuan (Silk Pass) - Ashhada - Songhua River - Heilongjiang - Tatar Strait - Sakhalin Island - Hokkaido, Japan. "

The Silk Road of Northeast Asia refers to the strip of water between China and Japan, and waterway communication is very convenient. In order to seek immortality, Qin Shihuang sent Xu Fu to lead a crew of boys and girls, hundreds of workers, and thousands of people to cross eastward to Japan. It has become a legend between China and Japan. According to Japan According to ancient history, China's silk weaving and weaving techniques were introduced to Japan during the Western Han Dynasty. In the third century AD, Chinese silk jacquard technology and block printing technology were introduced to Japan in the Sui Dynasty, and China's hollow block printing technology was once again introduced to Japan.During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Japanese envoys and monks traveled frequently to China. During the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, monk Jianzhen also traveled eastward to Japan by sea.

In the Tang Dynasty, silk produced in Jiangsu and Zhejiang was shipped directly to Japan by sea. Silk fabrics began to transform from gifts into official commodities. Shosoin was a place where government cultural relics were stored. Today's Shoso-in has become Japan's treasure house for preserving Chinese silk fabrics from the Tang Dynasty, many of which are difficult to see even in mainland China. At present, the earliest trade certificate of the Song Dynasty is stored in the public certificate of Dazaifu, Japan. The content of this official certificate of the Song Dynasty is the record of Quanzhou merchant Li Chong's trade with Japan in the first year of Chongning in the Northern Song Dynasty (1102).

The earliest record of the direction of North Korea is from the time when King Wu of Zhou Dynasty destroyed Zhou and sent Jizi to North Korea. He set off from the Bohai Bay seaport of Shandong Peninsula and Liaodong Peninsula and arrived in North Korea to teach the people how to weave silkworms in the fields. China's sericulture, silk reeling, and silk weaving technologies were first introduced to Korea, which played a great role in the development of Japan's silk industry.

Through the East China Sea route, not only Chinese goods were continuously exported to Japan and the Korean Peninsula, but Chinese culture was also spread to these countries on a large scale, including Confucianism, laws and regulations, Chinese characters, clothing, architecture, tea drinking customs, etc. Chinese culture has had a profound impact on the ethics, political systems, literature and art, living habits, and social customs of Japan and the Korean Peninsula.

Trade objects:

North Korea, Japan, Ryukyu

Countries located in today's Indochina Peninsula

Coastal islands in Southeast Asia

South Asia

Islamic world

Across Europe, because most of this maritime Silk Road only goes to Arabia, other items to the European continent generally pass through Arab transshipment.

Import and export items

Export: The goods departing from China are mainly silk, tea, porcelain, gold, silver, books, etc.

Imports: Goods from abroad include: glass, opal, pearls, ivory, spices, gold and silver, gems, crystal, agate, amber, camel skin, frankincense, myrrh, benzoin, agarwood, sandalwood, aloe vera, pepper, Wenazzi et al.

Most of the major foreign items introduced into China passed through the Overland Silk Road.

Silk Road application for World Heritage

The Maritime Silk Road, as a human historical activity lasting more than 2,000 years and covering most of the earth, and an important carrier of cultural and economic exchanges between the East and the West, has multiple starting points and multiple routes, and has status and status in different historical eras. role, its historical heritage is naturally included in the vision of the "World Heritage" Committee.

The term "the starting point" of the Maritime Silk Road originated from UNESCO's recognition of the many rich, diverse and highly authentic historical and cultural relics of the Maritime Silk Road preserved in Quanzhou during the 1991 Maritime Silk Road Comprehensive Survey, and its recognition It affirmed its historical role as the largest port during the peak period of the Maritime Silk Road. Being recognized as the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road by UNESCO is a symbolic honorary recognition, not an academic concept.

On September 9, 2016, the Maritime Silk Road Application for World Cultural Heritage work meeting held by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage identified a total of 31 heritage sites in 68 cities including Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Ningbo, Nanjing, Zhangzhou, Putian, Lishui, and Jiangmenhtml. Among the first batch of Maritime Silk Road heritage sites, Yangjiang City "Nanhai Shipwreck No. 1 and Shipwreck Site" are used as related points. Among them, Quanzhou has 14 of the first batch of heritage sites listed on the Maritime Silk Road World Heritage List, with the largest number of heritage sites. Guangzhou has 6 historical sites selected for the application list, ranking second among the cities in China applying for World Heritage.

Quanzhou: Wanshou Pagoda, Liusheng Pagoda, Shihu Pier, Jiangkou Pier and Zhenwu Temple , Luoyang Bridge, Tianhou Palace and Dejimen ruins, Meiling Dehua Kiln ruins, Kaiyuan Temple , Qingjing Temple , Cao'an, Qingyuan Mountain, Islamic Holy Tomb, Tukeng Village, Jiuri Mountain Cliff Carvings.

Guangzhou: Tomb of King Wen of Nanyue, ruins of Nanyue Palace Department, Guangxiao Temple, Huaisheng Temple Light Tower, ancient tombs of Muslim sages, Nanhai Temple and dock ruins.

Ningbo: Yongfengku Ruins, Baoguo Temple , Tiantong Temple, Shanglin Lake Yue Kiln Ruins .

Nanjing: Longjiang Bao Shipyard Site, Zheng He’s Tomb, King Bangni’s Tomb, and Hongbao’s Tomb.

Zhangzhou: Nanjing Dongxi kiln site, Pinghe Nansheng kiln site.

Jiangmen: Dazhouwan Site.

Economic Impact

The ancient Maritime Silk Road ran from the southeastern coast of China, passed through the Indochina Peninsula and the South China Sea countries, crossed the Indian Ocean, entered the Red Sea, and reached East Africa and Europe. It became a major maritime channel for trade and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, and promoted promote the common development of countries along the route. The main goods exported from China to various parts of the world, from silk to porcelain and tea, formed a wind of Eastern civilization that continued to blow around the world. Especially during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, China's shipbuilding and navigation technology greatly improved, as well as the use of compasses in navigation, which comprehensively improved the ability of merchant ships to sail long distances, and private maritime trade also developed. During this period, China had direct “Maritime Silk Road” trade relations with more than 60 countries in the world. The prosperous scene of "the sound of rising seas aroused the merchants from all over the world", through the writings of travelers such as Italian Marco Polo and Arabian Ibn Battuta, triggered a craze in the Western world to get a glimpse of the Age of Discovery of Eastern civilization.

Cultural influence

Through the Maritime Silk Road, China also spreads our national crafts and Confucianism and Taoism, which has had varying degrees of impact on countries and regions along the "Maritime Silk Road" and various parts of Europe, and even set off "China fever". Among them, porcelain and tea have a great influence on the world.

At that time, many countries such as Russia, France, and Egypt advocated collecting Chinese porcelain or using it as diplomatic gifts. They also used Chinese porcelain as a symbol of status or a currency similar to gold. Under the influence of Chinese porcelain, the porcelain making industry in various countries around the world has developed. From Arab countries to imitate Chinese-style porcelain altars, to Persian Persian pottery that combines the shapes of Chinese porcelain, and then Thailand, Vietnam, Egypt, the Netherlands, France, and Germany. , Russia, Denmark , the United Kingdom, Spain and other countries have also mastered porcelain making technology, and even created many innovative products through the combination of Chinese porcelain technology and their own culture. With the popularity of advocating Chinese porcelain in these countries, their lifestyles and aesthetic concepts have also changed to a certain extent, and the concept of advocating Chinese porcelain has also been integrated into religious culture.

Tea culture has also spread to all parts of the world, and has had a certain impact on many countries from lifestyles to thinking concepts. In the 9th century AD, a "Hongren tea style" emerged in Japan, and there was a trend among the nobles to imitate Chinese tea tasting. In the 12th century AD, Japanese monks went to China and brought tea seeds back to Japan for planting. After a long period of localization, the unique Japanese tea ceremony was finally formed. In the early 17th century, the Netherlands took the lead in importing tea into Europe through the Maritime Silk Road and began to promote the practice of tea drinking. In the 18th and 19th centuries, tea began to transform from a luxury product to a popular drink in the UK, and tea drinking became an integral part of traditional British culture.

Historical Impact

History has proven that the exchanges and collisions of different cultures driven by the Maritime Silk Road have promoted the progress and development of the world, and open exchanges with an international perspective have therefore become the ideological consensus for world development. At present, China is launching a major strategy to jointly build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road with ASEAN and other countries around the world. The concept of maritime economy, the awareness of harmony and co-prosperity, and the will for diverse symbiosis that have been created in history will once again provide rich history for the national development strategy. Base. The cultural connotation of the Maritime Silk Road of "friendliness, tolerance, mutual benefit, symbiosis, and tenacity" undoubtedly has profound enlightenment and extremely important contemporary significance for the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and for the deeper interaction between China and the world.

The “21st Century Maritime Silk Road” advocated by China under the new international situation is a development strategy rich in military and geopolitical intentions.The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road is a strategic measure to build a peaceful and stable surrounding environment. It is a strategic convergence point for China and ASEAN to open up new areas of cooperation and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation. It is conducive to shelving disputes, enhancing consensus, win-win cooperation, and promoting the construction of A peaceful, stable and prosperous surrounding environment; it is also an important way for China to cope with challenges under the new situation and use opening up to force reforms; it is also a far-reaching plan to expand China’s economic development space, which will not only help China and countries along the Maritime Silk Road Carrying out all-round cooperation in the fields of port shipping, marine energy, economy and trade, scientific and technological innovation, ecological environment, cultural exchanges and other fields is of great significance to promoting regional prosperity and promoting global economic development. It will also greatly expand the strategic space for China's economic development and provide China with It will provide strong support for the sustained and stable economic development, and ultimately promote the common prosperity of countries along the route and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.

The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road

The strategic partners of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road are not limited to ASEAN, but connect points with lines and lines with areas to enhance exchanges with border countries and regions and connect ASEAN, South Asia, The market chains of major economic sectors such as West Asia, North Africa and Europe are developing strategic cooperation economic belts facing the South China Sea, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, with the long-term goal of economic and trade integration in Asia, Europe and Africa. Since ASEAN is located at the crossroads and must pass through the Maritime Silk Road, it will be the primary development goal of the new Maritime Silk Road strategy. China and ASEAN have a broad political foundation and a solid economic foundation. The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road strategy is in line with the common interests of both parties. interests and common requirements. Entering the new century, especially after the global financial crisis in 2008, China's role in the global economy began to become more prominent, its political status also significantly improved, and it was regarded as the next superpower. After the United States’ desire to establish a “G2” or Chimerica failed, it turned to a “return to the Asia-Pacific” or a “pivot to Asia” and adjusted it to the “Asia-Pacific pivot” in 2013. balance". Objectively speaking, the rebalancing policy is a traditional Anglo-Saxon regional strategy, which is very different from the Cold War containment strategy against the Soviet Union. But from a security and economic perspective, China is obviously the main target of the US rebalancing.

In China, the negative effects of the "Four Trillion Plan" launched in November 2008 have become increasingly prominent, with overcapacity and excess foreign exchange assets; China's oil and gas resources and mineral resources are highly dependent on foreign countries; China's industry and infrastructure are concentrated in Along the coast, it is easy to lose core facilities if there is an external attack. The overall situation in China's border areas is at its best in history, and neighboring countries are generally more willing to strengthen cooperation with China. It is against this background that China timely proposed the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" as a powerful means to proactively create a cooperative, peaceful and harmonious foreign cooperation environment, and create good opportunities and external environment for China to comprehensively deepen reforms.

According to the "Vision and Actions on Promoting the Joint Construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road" issued with the authorization of the State Council in March 2015, it is proposed: using the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, West Coast , ring Bohai and other economic zones have the advantages of high degree of openness, strong economic strength, and large radiating and driving effects. They will accelerate the construction of the China (Shanghai) Free Trade Pilot Zone and support Fujian in building the core area of ​​the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

gives full play to the role of open cooperation zones such as Shenzhen Qianhai, Guangzhou Nansha, Zhuhai Hengqin, and Fujian Pingtan, deepens cooperation with Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and builds the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Promote the construction of Zhejiang Marine Economic Development Demonstration Zone, Fujian Strait Blue Economic Pilot Zone and Zhoushan Islands New Area, and increase the development and opening up of Hainan International Tourism Island. Strengthen port construction in coastal cities such as Shanghai, Tianjin, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhanjiang, Shantou, Qingdao , Yantai, Dalian , Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Haikou, Sanya, etc., and strengthen international hub airports such as Shanghai and Guangzhou Function. Expanding opening up will force in-depth reforms, innovate open economic systems and mechanisms, increase scientific and technological innovation, form new advantages in participating in and leading international cooperation and competition, and become the vanguard and main force in the construction of the "Belt and Road", especially the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. military.Give full play to the unique advantages of overseas Chinese and the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions, and actively participate in and support the construction of the “Belt and Road”. Make appropriate arrangements for Taiwan’s participation in the “Belt and Road” construction.

Westbound has introduced nearly 30 articles on the countries and regions along the Maritime Silk Road. There have been nearly 30 articles from 19 countries in South Asia. In 2018, Westbound plans to use 150 articles to comprehensively introduce the cities along the Maritime Silk Road. ports and related countries and regions. For example, Nanjing, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Suzhou , Taicang Port , Shanghai, Quanzhou, Guangzhou, etc., as well as related countries, such as the African continent and Mediterranean countries.

The treasures of customs and folk art along the Belt and Road are all in the Westbound Culture!

Chief Editor of Westbound: Li Xinrong

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