Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "maritime-trade"

Sailing across the Seas: Fujian and the West by Weiwei Wu

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


China has been involved in maritime trade since the 1st century BC. Trading overseas took on greater importance during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 to 907) and their vessels sailed on what came to be known as the Maritime Silk Road (MSR). Sailing Across the Seas utilizes photographs, artifacts, and architecture with brief textual explanations to review the people, advancements, and cultural exchanges that played significant roles in maritime trade. The hope is that by studying the past, we can bring new life to the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road.

This title is one in a series (Illustrated Fujian and the Maritime Silk Road edited by Xie Bizhen) and it focuses on a region in southeast China that has played a central role in overseas trade. One of the most important ports was Quanzhou, which was both the embarkation and debarkation locus of the MSR. From the second half of the 10th century through the 13th, Fujian shipbuilders utilized the latest advances in their vocation to build the best vessels and their seamen implemented the latest technology in navigation. The MSR upon which they sailed permitted cultural exchanges with other countries, be they as near as Japan or Korea or as far away as Africa, Europe, and America. For example, Zheng He made seven such voyages while Europeans sent missionaries who wrote about life in China and introduced Western religion and ways to the Chinese.

The book is divided into six sections. The first covers early voyages, which includes one that predates Marco Polo’s travels, and Christianity’s spread. The second part explores colonists, merchants, and trade commodities, while the next section discusses the conflicts and battles that impacted trade and China. The fourth part focuses on disputes arising from religions, both Western intrusions and the spread of Neo-Confucianism in the West. Tea and coolies are the principal focus of the fifth section. The final section examines people, especially those involved in interactions between East and West and Fujians who helped to spread their knowledge to other countries.

Sailing Across the Seas is beautifully illustrated and packs a wealth of introductory information. At times, the text doesn’t read as smoothly as it could if written by a native English speaker, but there is sufficient information provided for readers to get the point. One helpful feature that is missing are dates; at present, one must look up a dynasty name or a specific fact to determine when events happened. A bibliography is provided and even though there is no index, paging through the book and reviewing the table of contents makes it easy to find specific information. Wu does a commendable job providing opposing viewpoints, and it’s refreshing to view China and Fujian from a perspective not usually encountered in Western maritime literature.


(This review first appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/adultpirat...)



View all my reviews