During the Ming Dynasty, cargo ships sailed with thousands of sails, leaving the most prosperous port at that time and heading to the east and west oceans...
In high school, I used to memorize history textbooks on the port site next to the school, which was the only legal maritime Silk Road starting port in China in the Ming Dynasty, Zhangzhou Yue port in Fujian Province.
Gu Yanwu said in the "Book of National Interests and Diseases in Tianxia County": "All the people of Fujian have gone abroad from Zhangzhou Yuegang. From the end of the 15th century to the 17th century, it was once a foreign trade port where "the sea is scaled and the merchants are gathered", and Zhangzhou, where the moon port is located, has become a metropolis in southern Fujian.
Therefore, Zhangzhou Yue Port in the middle and late Ming Dynasty and Fuzhou Port in the Han and Tang Dynasties, Quanzhou Port in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Xiamen Port in the Qing Dynasty, and called the "four major commercial ports" in Fujian history.
Yuegang is located in Fujian Province, where the Jiulong River flows into the sea, because its harbor road is "a water graben, surrounded by a crescent moon", so it is named Yuegang.
As an inland river port, the port of Tsukihito is shallow. Access to and from sea vessels is restricted by the tide and cannot dock, but can only be connected by small boats. Open the "Longhai County Chronicle", see the record: "Before the east and west routes, there was a section of inner harbor water, starting from the port of Haicheng, pulling by boat, counting a tide to Guiyu, the merchant ship was inspected by this disk, and then half tide to Xiamen, after the inspection of the South Road Samshu Flood Control Office, moved to Zengjia'ao, waiting for the wind to drive, and the second to Danmen, sailing to the east and west respectively. ”
One end is connected to the sea, the other is connected to the developed tributaries of the Kowloon River, and the Moon Harbor is both hidden and convenient. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the "sea ban" was relaxed to a limited extent, and the "Yang Market" was opened in Yuegang, allowing private individuals to apply for quotations, pay taxes, and go out to the sea to trade in the east and west oceans. Since then, Yuegang has become the only legal port of departure for private maritime trade in the Ming Dynasty, and has rapidly prospered.
According to the famous book of maritime transportation history "East-West Ocean Examination" written by Zhang Xie during the Ming Dynasty, there were 18 sea routes from Yuegang in the Ming Dynasty, and there were direct trade exchanges with 47 countries and regions such as Southeast Asia, South Asia and Northeast Asia. Yuegang merchants also used the Philippine Islands and other parts of the South Sea Islands as relay stations to directly trade with European countries such as Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, and the various routes thus formed were connected with new routes opened by European countries.
At that time, there were 116 kinds of trade goods, and the export was mainly porcelain, and Southeast Asia and Europe were particularly fond of porcelain produced in southern Fujian. Sailboats are easy to overturn in the open sea, and porcelain is generally in the bottom of the ship.
As an internationally renowned commercial port at that time, Yuegang once had 7 ancient streets and alleys along the river, parallel to 7 wharves. Each pier is opposite a temple, and the theme of the temple is related to "peace" and "fortune".
Today, there are still some Ming Dynasty shop-style buildings in Fan Lane at the eastern end. Most of the houses are wooden structures of "bamboo pole houses", connected from end to end. There are three drops of "bamboo pole houses", one of which is a shop on the street, a residence in the middle, and finally a warehouse. The façade of the shop is full of wood-paneled windows, and once opened, you can do business. When it closes at night, it is close to the surrounding walls.
Mr. Lin Yutang wrote in "My Hometown": "In the ancient town of Yuegang, there is a bamboo curtain hanging at the door of every household, and people are in the house, looking out through the bamboo curtain, while people on the street outside cannot see the situation inside. Another major feature of the ancient alley is the lattice curtain made of bamboo or wood, which is propped at the door, generally 2 meters high and 1.5 meters wide. It was introduced by Zhu Xi when he was the prefect of Zhangzhou, also known as "Zhu Zi Curtain", expressing the idea that Confucianism is different from the inside and outside. In the pen of Mr. Lin Yutang, Zhu Zi curtain is also a homesickness for the people of southern Fujian.
In the three years of high school, I like to spend time with the ancient port, and when I look for its past glory, I always feel its embrace with the times.
Driven by trade, in the Ming Dynasty and beyond, local people have "gone to the West" and "to the South China Sea". Some people have moved overseas, but they are all concerned about their relatives in their hometowns and send back the "overseas Chinese approval" and "overseas Chinese silver" on time. After returning home, an arcade building was built in the back street of Yuegang "Bassai" (Indonesian: Market). Nowadays, the old people in the ancient town of Yuegang will still call Indonesia, Singapore and other places "Fanping", and the "Fanzai Cake" in their memory is crispy and the "Fanzai Fire" is convenient. There are also many cultural skills left behind by the ancient port, such as the shipbuilding technique of "potato dyeing sails", an intangible cultural heritage spanning 500 years.
The old man who has lived in the ancient alley for more than 50 years said: "In the past, this street had bean cake rows, rice rows, sugar winter melon rows, medicinal materials rows, etc., and there were dozens of commercial houses collectively known as the 'Thirteen Lines'. Every house has a shop, and every family does business. Today, we bring the wisdom and craftsmanship of our ancestors to set off again. ”
"Heaven and place are favorable to people", traditional Chinese culture and customs use this to implicitly express the achievements after bravery and hard work. The harbor of the moon, the once glorious ancient port, is waiting for the wind to drive, ready to sail far.
【Perceiving heaven and earth in nature, harvesting surprises in daily life】
Author: Chen Yujuan
Editor: Wang Aofu
Signature: He Yu
Lin Chun
Producer: Wang Xin
Producer: Hong Lin
New Media, Chinese Global Program Center, China Central Radio and Television Corporation
END
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