The Maritime Silk Road was a maritime channel for transportation, trade and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries in ancient times. The road was mainly centered on the South China Sea, and its starting point was mainly Guangzhou, so it was also called the South China Sea Silk Road. The Maritime Silk Road was formed during the Qin and Han Dynasties, developed during the Three Kingdoms and Sui Dynasties, flourished during the Tang and Song Dynasties, and transformed during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is the oldest known maritime route. Before the land Silk Road, there was the Maritime Silk Road. It mainly has routes from the East China Sea and routes from the South China Sea. The Maritime Silk Road is an ancient seaway transportation artery. Since the Han Dynasty, China has been in contact with the Malay Peninsula. Especially after the Tang Dynasty, the exchanges have become closer. As a way of communication, the most convenient way of communication is of course navigation, and Sino-Western trade also uses this waterway for trading. It is what we call the Maritime Silk Road. The main bulk cargo transported by sea lanes during the Sui and Tang Dynasties was silk, so everyone called this sea lane connecting the east and west the Maritime Silk Road. By the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the export of porcelain gradually became the main cargo. Therefore, people also called it the "Sea Ceramic Road." At the same time, because the imported goods have always been mainly spices, it is also called the "Sea Spice Route".
East China Sea Silk Road
The route from the East China Sea started at the latest when King Wu of Zhou destroyed Zhou and established the Zhou Dynasty (1112 BC). He granted Jizi to North Korea, from Shandong Peninsula Departing from the Bohai Bay seaport, he arrived in North Korea and taught the civilians how to weave silkworms. China's sericulture, silk reeling, and silk weaving technologies were first introduced to North Korea through the Yellow Sea.
South China Sea Silk Road
The ancient maritime channel for transportation, trade and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries was the main channel for Sino-foreign exchanges after the Tang and Song Dynasties. It was centered on the South China Sea and the starting point was mainly Guangzhou. That’s why it’s called the South China Sea Silk Road. It was formed during the Qin and Han Dynasties, developed during the Three Kingdoms and Sui Dynasties, flourished during the Tang and Song Dynasties, and transformed during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is the oldest known maritime route. Since the 1930s, Guangzhou has replaced Xuwen and Hepu as the main port of the Maritime Silk Road. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, Guangzhou became China's largest port and the world-famous Oriental Port City. The route from Guangzhou to the Persian Gulf countries via the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean was the longest ocean route in the world at that time. During the Yuan Dynasty, Guangzhou's position as China's largest port was replaced by Quanzhou, but Guangzhou was still China's second largest port and an important starting point for the Maritime Silk Road. In the early Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty, Guangzhou was in a "one port for trade" situation for a long time. Since ancient times, the Maritime Silk Road starting from Guangzhou has had many routes. In 1784, the American "Queen of China" visited Guangdong, marking the opening of a direct route from the United States to Guangzhou. The Maritime Silk Road is also known as the Maritime Ceramics Road and the Maritime Perfumes Road because it transports other goods.
The Maritime Silk Road mainly has two main routes: the East China Sea route and the South China Sea route. It has a longer history than the land Silk Road. The route from the East China Sea began when the Zhou Dynasty (1112 BC) was established. King Wu sent Jizi to Korea to teach silkworm weaving technology. Jizi then set out from the Bohai Bay seaport on the Shandong Peninsula and arrived in North Korea by water. In this way, China's sericulture, silk reeling, and silk weaving technologies were first spread to North Korea through the Yellow Sea. When Qin Shihuang (221 BC) invaded the six kingdoms, people from Qi, Yan, Zhao and other countries continued to travel across the sea to North Korea carrying silkworm seeds and silkworm-raising techniques to escape hard labor, which accelerated the spread of the silk weaving industry in North Korea.
China and Japan are separated by a narrow strip of water, and exchanges are very convenient through the Korean Peninsula or through the Sea of ??Japan waterway. Japan has legends about sericulture since ancient times. Legend has it that in 219-210 BC, Qin Shihuang sent Xu Fu to lead boys, girls, crews, hundreds of workers, and thousands of people to travel eastward to Japan in order to seek the elixir of immortality to spread the technology of sericulture. The Japanese people later worshiped Xu Fu as " Silkworm God". There are also records saying that in the third century BC, two brothers from the Wu area in Jiangsu and Zhejiang crossed the Yellow Sea eastward to Japan and taught them the skills of silkworm weaving and sewing Wu clothes. Later, people from the mainland settled in Japan in twos and threes, either via North Korea or starting from Shandong. The exchanges were very close and promoted the development of Japan's sericulture.
According to ancient Japanese history records, during the reign of Emperor Ai of the Western Han Dynasty (6 BC), Chinese woven fabrics and woven fabrics and techniques had been spread to Japan.
In the third century AD, Chinese silk jacquard technology and block printing technology were introduced to Japan. In the Sui Dynasty, China's hollow printing technology was spread to Japan again. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Japanese envoys and monks traveled frequently to China. They obtained blue damask in Taizhou, Zhejiang, and brought it back to Japan as a model to imitate colorful brocade, damask, and clamped valerian. Japan still uses the names of the Tang Dynasty in China, such as: twisted valerian, Wax, Luo, silk, damask, feather, etc.
In the Tang Dynasty, silk produced in Jiangsu and Zhejiang was shipped directly to Japan by sea, and silk fabrics began to transform from gifts into official commodities. Nara was the capital of Japan at that time and could be said to be the end point of China's Silk Road. Shosoin was the place where government cultural relics were stored. Today's Shoso-in has become Japan's treasure house for preserving silk fabrics from the Tang Dynasty in China. Many of the silk fabrics are difficult to see even in the mainland, such as colorful printed brocade, lion and Tang grass music pattern brocade, lotus pattern brocade, hunting pattern brocade, There are also many silk fabrics made in Japan by Chinese craftsmen at that time, such as deer-tang grass-patterned brocade, lotus-patterned brocade, etc., which combine the style of the Tang Dynasty with Japanese national characteristics.
A lot of Chinese silk was also shipped to Japan during the Song Dynasty. In the Yuan Dynasty, the government established municipal shipping departments in Ningbo, Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Kanpu, Wenzhou, and Hangzhou, and exported dragon satin, Suzhou-Hangzhou five-color satin, flower Xuan satin, variegated silk, Danshan brocade, and water satin to Japan at many ports. Silk cloth etc. The Ming Dynasty was a period when Japan imported large quantities of Chinese silk. During this period, Japan imported countless raw silk, silk, satin, gold brocade, etc. from China.
In the early Qing Dynasty (1644), the rulers were worried that the domestic people would go to sea to collude with the anti-Qing patriots in the late Ming Dynasty, so they adopted a sea ban policy. Later, due to strong opposition at home and abroad, they gradually opened up. At this time, Japan continued to import large quantities of Chinese raw silk. From 1633 to 1672, Japan still imported more than 200,000 kilograms of Chinese silk every year. This was because it was very common for Japanese people to take silk. At that time, Japan was experiencing wars and the decline of the sericulture industry. The quantity of domestically produced raw silk had dropped sharply and the quality was poor. for the sake of. At this time, there were also merchants from Shandong, Shaanxi, Anhui, Zhejiang and other places directly engaged in maritime trade activities, sailing to Japan and other countries, exchanging Chinese silk and silk for pepper, sandalwood, copper, rattan and other goods. In the twenty-fifth year of Qianlong's reign (1760), in exchange for copper produced in Japan, the Chinese government allowed official exchanges between China and Japan to conduct silk trade. Since then, Chinese silk has been continuously shipped to Japan.
While Japan imported a large amount of Chinese silk, it also actively introduced Chinese mulberry seeds, silkworm seeds and advanced technologies. Around 1868, it established a basic national policy to revitalize the silk industry and actively studied European silk experimental science. , established a policy to reward patents, established scientific and educational institutions, and the silk industry has prospered since then. In 1909, Japan's raw silk exports reached 8,372 tons, surpassing China (7,480 tons), ranking first in the world, and has remained in the leading position ever since. It was not until 1977 that China surpassed Japan in silk production again.
The "Maritime Silk Road" is a maritime channel for transportation, trade and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries in ancient times. The road is mainly centered on the South China Sea and its starting point is Guangzhou, so it is also called the South China Sea Silk Road. The Maritime Silk Road was formed during the Qin and Han Dynasties, developed during the Three Kingdoms and Sui Dynasties, flourished during the Tang and Song Dynasties, and transformed during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is the oldest known maritime route.
After the Maritime Silk Road was opened, before the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was only a supplementary form of the Overland Silk Road. However, during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, due to the continuous war in the Western Regions, the land Silk Road was blocked by the war, and the Maritime Silk Road emerged instead. By the Tang and Song Dynasties, with the development of my country's shipbuilding and navigation technology, my country's sea routes to Southeast Asia, the Strait of Malacca, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the African continent were opened and extended one after another. The Maritime Silk Road finally replaced the land Silk Road. It has become the main channel for my country’s foreign exchanges.
At that time, the main commodities exported through the Maritime Silk Road were silk, porcelain, tea, and copper and ironware. The main commodities shipped to the country were spices, flowers, and some rare treasures for the palace. Therefore, the Maritime Silk Road is also known as the Maritime Ceramics Road and the Maritime Perfumes Road. When Zheng He sailed to the West in the early Ming Dynasty, the Maritime Silk Road reached its peak.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties after Zheng He, my country's maritime industry began to decline due to the implementation of maritime bans, and the Maritime Silk Road, which had made great contributions to exchanges between the East and the West, also gradually disappeared.
Guangzhou’s position on the Maritime Silk Road
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 and a world-famous Oriental port city. The route from Guangzhou to the Persian Gulf countries via the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean was the longest ocean route in the world at that time. During the Yuan Dynasty, Guangzhou's position as China's largest port was replaced by Quanzhou, but Guangzhou was still China's second largest port. In the more than 2,000-year history of the Maritime Silk Road, Guangzhou is considered to be the only port that has endured for a long time compared to other coastal ports. In the early Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty, Guangzhou was in a "one port for trade" situation for a long time. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Maritime Silk Road starting from Guangzhou already had three routes. In 1784, the American "Queen of China" visited Guangdong, marking the opening of a direct route from the United States to Guangzhou.
There are sufficient historical materials and cultural relics to prove that the earliest port of departure of the Maritime Silk Road was Guangzhou. There are currently more than 20 "Maritime Silk Road" ruins preserved in various parts of Guangzhou, including Nanhai Temple, Huaisheng Temple Light Pagoda, Guangxiao Temple, Muslim Ancient Tombs, Hualin Temple, Lotus Pagoda, Sha It faces Western-style buildings, among which Huaisheng Mosque is the earliest mosque where Islam was introduced to China. At present, relevant departments in Guangdong are actively promoting the application of the "Maritime Silk Road" sites as world cultural heritage.
The Song Dynasty was one of the most prosperous countries at that time
In most people's minds, the pinnacle of China's feudal dynasty was the Tang Dynasty, but this was not the case. The Song Dynasty was one of the dynasties with the most prosperous economy, the most developed science and technology, the most prosperous culture, the highest art, and the richest living standards in Chinese history. It was also the country with the most inventions and creations in the world at that time. The Song Dynasty was also the period when China contributed the most to the world. More than half of the important inventions in Chinese history appeared in the Song Dynasty. At that time, three of China's four great inventions were put into practical use on a large scale in the Song Dynasty, such as gunpowder, the compass, printing, Important reforms in banknotes, vertical thread textiles, and porcelain craftsmanship, etc. The Song Dynasty's navigation, shipbuilding, medicine, crafts, agricultural technology and other technologies have reached unprecedented heights in ancient times. Compasses began to be equipped on a large number of ocean-going ships in the Song Dynasty. The GDP of the Song Dynasty accounted for 50% of the world's GDP at that time. The country's comprehensive strength, both in terms of quality and quantity, made the Song Dynasty the largest country in the world at that time. The number of cities with more than 100,000 households in the Song Dynasty increased from more than ten in the Tang Dynasty to 40. Bianjing and Lin'an became the fourth and fifth cities in the world with a population of more than one million after Chang'an, Luoyang and Nanjing.
The foreign trade of the two Song Dynasties also reached unprecedented prosperity, and port cities such as Guangzhou and Quanzhou emerged. According to research by Western historians, the annual foreign trade volume of the two Song Dynasties exceeded the total of other countries in the world in the same year. Chinese merchants controlled almost all major ports from the coast of China to the east coast of Africa and the Red Sea coast.
In the words of the late famous scholar Professor Deng Guangming, "The Song Dynasty was the highest stage of the development of my country's feudal society. Its material civilization and spiritual civilization reached a height that was unprecedented within the entire historical period of China's feudal society. It can be said to be unprecedented. ”
Historical development
(1) Pre-Qinnan and Yue periods: laid the foundation for the formation of the Maritime Silk Road
Maritime exchanges in the Lingnan region during the pre-Qin and Yue periods laid the foundation for the formation of the Maritime Silk Road.
As early as about 6,000 years ago, the ancestors of Lingnan had already used canoes to move offshore.
Between 5000 and 3000 years ago, the Huiyang Plain, which is nearly 100 kilometers away from the north bank of the Dongjiang River, has formed a trade circle with ceramics as a link, and its influence has been extended to the coast and overseas islands through waterways.
Through the study of the distribution areas of sea ships and unearthed pottery, as well as shouldered and segmented stone tools, bronze drums and bronze axes, it is known that the ancestors of Lingnan in the pre-Qin period had traveled through the South China Sea and even the South Pacific coast and its islands, whose culture indirectly influenced the Indian Ocean coast and its islands.
According to research on unearthed relics and ancient documents, the South Vietnamese country was able to manufacture 25 to 30 tons of wooden ships and had considerable contacts with overseas countries.
The main export products of South Vietnam are: lacquerware, silk fabrics, pottery and bronze ware. The imported products listed in ancient documents include "pearls, rhinoceros, hawksbill turtles, fruits, and cloth." The main trading ports were Panyu (today's Guangzhou) and Xuwen (today's Xuwen).
(2). The middle and late Western Han Dynasty and the Eastern Han Dynasty: the formation and development of the Maritime Silk Road
"Hanshu. Geography" records that "from Rinanzhangsai, Xuwen, Hepu There was a translator on the ship who belonged to the Huangmen, and together with the candidates, they went to the sea to buy pearls, jade, and strange stones and foreign objects, and went away with the gold..." This shows that the "Maritime Silk Road" arose after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty destroyed the South Vietnam Kingdom. . The ships of the Eastern Han Dynasty (especially in the later period) already used sails; the Qin Dynasty (Roman Empire) reached Guangzhou for trade by sea for the first time; Chinese businessmen with official nature also arrived in Rome. This marks the formation of the true Maritime Silk Road across three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe.
With the development of mulberry farming, silkworm rearing and textile industry in the Han Dynasty, silk fabrics became the main export product during this period. The frankincense (incense burner) and domestic servants (figurines holding lamps) have never been seen in imported products before.
As the territory of the Han Dynasty expanded to parts of present-day Southeast Asia, the government strengthened the management of port cities along the Maritime Silk Road. For example, in today's Xuwen, "the left and right waiting officials were placed seven miles south of the county, and goods were stored here." , prepare what they want, and trade." Some relatively important commercial cities also emerged, such as Panyu, Xuwen, Hepu (near today's Hepu), Longbian (now Hanoi, Vietnam), Guangxin (now Wuzhou), Bushan (now Guigang) and Guilin (now Guilin), etc. .
What is particularly noteworthy is that the waterway and land transportation between Lingnan and the mainland also became important and were repaired.
(3) Maritime Silk Road during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties
In the fifth year of the Huangwu regime of Sun Wu (226 years), Guangzhou was established (the county is now Guangzhou City), which strengthened the southern maritime trade.
According to historical data, Guangzhou became the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road during the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Foreign trade involves fifteen countries and regions, including not only Southeast Asian countries, but also India and the Qin Dynasty in Europe in the west. The first mode of operation is that the Chinese government sends missions to visit overseas, and the other is that foreign governments send envoys to pay tribute to China.
Silk was the main export. The imported products include pearls, spices, ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, coral, jade, peacock, gold and silver treasures, rhinoceros elephant, Jibei (cotton cloth), spotted cloth, diamond, colored glaze, pearls, betel nut, Douluan, etc.
The development of the Guangzhou Maritime Silk Road made foreign trade revenue a financial dependence for the Southern Dynasty regimes.