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In July 2010, on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a young man named Elia hugged five people beside him.
"We're going home!"
Six well-dressed and energetic Austronesian people jumped into the boat, waved their arms and pointed straight ahead, and Elia took out the five-star red flag that had been prepared for a long time, and planted the flag on the mast with high respect.
The shore was crowded with people who had come to see them off, and as an antique canoe was pushed into the sea, Elia and the others embarked on a journey of 16,000 nautical miles to find their roots......
1. Where are the roots of the mysterious race?
The Austronesian language family is very foreign to most people, and it is a rather mysterious group.
12,000 years ago, they were scattered among the Polynesian islands of the Pacific Ocean, living the life of fishermen who lived by the water for generations, much like the inhabitants of the coastal areas of the mainland.
In the 16th century B.C., with the rise of Western seafaring, the islanders who hid in the vast seas were gradually discovered by navigators.
Scattered and separated by thousands of miles, the navigators were amazed to find that the people who inhabited the islands were strikingly similar in language, culture, and appearance.
At the end of the 19th century, Schmidt, a linguist from Germany, officially named the language system of the islanders Austronesian language family, which is why it is called the Austronesian language family.
Later, many archaeologists began to investigate the roots of the Austronesian people.
The development process of the Austronesian people is confusing and quite puzzling, but after more than 100 years of research, experts still found "clues", clues pointing directly to the Chinese civilization, linking the ancestors of this mysterious group with the southeast coast of China.
In detail, the languages of the Austronesian language family do have similarities with the dialects of Fujian Minnan.
Even though they are thousands of miles apart, Austronesian speakers still mention some cities in Fujian, China, and even "Mawei" and "Pingtan" appear in their vocabulary, which gives some support to the experts' claims from a linguistic point of view.
What is even more shocking is that some of the items made by the islanders are similar in style to a series of ceramic vessels excavated from the mainland.
With these major discoveries, experts have used scientific means, such as sports genetics, to test the genes of Austronesian speakers, who are indeed deeply related to the Han people in the Central Plains, and most likely came from the coast of Fujian, China.
Since ancient times, our ancestors loved to live by the water, ensuring that they could survive with water and food.
Perhaps, more than 5,000 years ago, after a large-scale migration, the ancestors were scattered all over the world, spreading branches and multiplication.
The Austronesian people on the other side of the ocean are convinced of this.
The formation of any culture cannot be simply additive, but needs to evolve layer by layer. Austronesian people have always believed that their ancestors were Chinese.
In order to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors, Austronesian Elia chose a seemingly impossible method - driving a canoe from Polynesia across the treacherous Pacific Ocean, across the plate map, to the ancient and mysterious country of the East.
2. A journey to find your roots and trace your ancestors
At the age of 13, he was a diplomatic adviser to the President of French Polynesia, and his relationship with China was forged at the age of 13.
At a young age, he took over the "Analects" sent by his father, and never imagined that he would be completely intoxicated by the broad and long-standing Chinese culture, and he was out of control.
Later, as the president's diplomatic adviser, Elia finally set foot on Chinese soil with his own efforts and engaged in related diplomatic careers.
In this 9.6 million square kilometers of land, Elijah has seen a different kind of customs, he has been exposed to more Chinese culture, and he has also learned information about the Austronesian language family, which makes Eliya more convinced that his ancestors are Chinese.
At the same time, Elijah devoted himself to the history and culture of the Austronesian language family, and years of exploration and investigation undoubtedly strengthened his determination to "find his roots".
The 42-year-old is in the prime of life, and in order to fulfill his ideals, he resolutely resigned from his privileged job as a diplomatic adviser to the president.
He made up his mind to personally lead a team with the courage to retrace the path of his ancestors and find the roots of civilization.
In order to prove that the ancestors of ancient times migrated across the vast seas to distant islands, Elia abandoned modern seafaring tools and rode in an antique canoe like his ancestors.
Starting from Polynesia and ending in Fujian, China, the migration route of the ancestors is restored to the greatest extent.
At the departure ceremony, Elia named the wooden boat built according to the drawings of 1820 "Freedom", which was intended to sail back to his homeland like his ancestors.
The word "freedom" carries the ardent hope of the Olian people to trace back to their origins, and also carries the exploration of the past by the entire Austronesian people.
In order to get closer to history, Elia and his five crew members did not carry any modern navigation equipment, and relied on the navigation skills passed down from generation to generation by the Austronesian people, and used the direction of the sun and stars and the changing angles of ocean currents to distinguish the direction and guide the way.
This seemingly backward navigation skill is actually an extremely scientific atoll navigation method. But in modern life, are these skills really useful? The answer, of course, is no.
Sailing life is boring and there is not the slightest pleasure to speak of. All they can do all day long is fish, and as soon as the rod is set down, they sit cross-legged, and the moment the fish is hooked becomes the happiest time of the day.
Although there were no delicacies, they ate some greasy sea fish all day long, but they did not complain.
In my spare time, lying on the wooden boat, listening to the sound of the sea, forgetting the troubles of the world, is wonderful. But not all days are like this. As you go deeper into the sea, danger looms.
The sea is no better than the land, even if there is even the slightest danger, there is a possibility of death, and no one can predict what will happen in the next second. At first, the South Pacific Ocean was calm, the blue waters rippled shallowly, and everything seemed so harmonious.
But they knew that the temper of the sea was erratic, and it was only when the canoe actually encountered wind and waves on the sea that Elia realized the seriousness of the problem.
Even with Uncle Cooper, known as the "human GPS", at the helm of the ship, they still can't compete with the sea.
What's even more deadly is that there is a typhoon blowing in the sea, this storm called "Catfish" is 8 meters high, like a giant beast opening its bloody mouth at the bottom of the sea, just waiting for them to become food in the mouth.
Uncle Cooper tried his best to control the direction and tried his best to get closer to the Philippine waters.
The rolling waves seemed to be about to engulf the 15-meter-long boat in the next second, and the surging waves slapped on everyone's faces, freezing cold.
The thin hull of the ship was buzzing with a beating, and it was in danger of capsizing at any moment. The Chinese flag hoisted high above the mast swayed with the howling wind, faintly shining with a red glow.
The crew clung to the side of the ship and maneuvered with great force. If you are swept into the center of the wind and waves, it is easy to get in and difficult to get out of a modern ship made of iron.
In the face of such a ferocious typhoon, who can not be afraid? The crew had to work together to control the sails, hoping to survive the typhoon.
Fortunately, under the technical operation of the crew, the canoe relied on the blessing of the sea current and wind direction, and successfully got out of the dangerous situation and moved slowly towards safety.
After several hours, they struggled to support, and finally tore a hole in the typhoon zone in an instant, and broke out of the layers of encirclement. successfully picked up a life, and everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
At that time, the "Freedom" canoe was really like its name, soaring freely on the endless sea, breaking through a ray of despair and saving the lives of six Elijahs.
"There is no way out of the mountains and rivers, and the willows and flowers are bright and another village." With a simple canoe, Elia and his party overcame nature, encountered many dangers and obstacles, and when their lives hung by a thread, they never wavered in their determination to find their roots, and always maintained their tenacious willpower.
On November 19, 2010, an antique canoe flying the Chinese flag slowly sailed towards Mawei Port on the coast of Fujian, and the bright red color contrasted sharply with the blue sea, attracting onlookers.
As the boat gradually approached, the six foreigners could no longer hide their excitement, waving to passers-by on the shore and shouting, "We're home, we're finally home." ”
At this moment, they completed this feat of crossing thousands of miles of oceans and found the roots of their ancestors. This is the end of a journey to find roots, and it is also the beginning of a friendship across time and space.
While Yi Liya and his entourage were excited, they were also looking forward to China's attitude. How will two different peoples collide in this vast land?
3. Arriving in Fujian, the dream came true
The long-lost land is certainly ecstatic, and when Elia and the others got off the boat, they were looked at by passers-by for a while.
After drifting at sea for more than 100 days, the appearance of the six people was no longer as refreshing as when they first set off, and Elia's hair grew to the chin and his beard was unshaven. Fortunately, everyone's eyes are crystal clear and full of longing for the unknown.
After some understanding, everyone knew the purpose of their visit and expressed a warm welcome. Led by local government staff, Elija and his entourage visited many cultural relics of the Austronesian language group.
When they are truly in the land where their ancestors lived, a sense of familiarity arises in their hearts, and the inheritance of cultural bloodline becomes clear at this moment.
Yi Liya changed out of the tattered old clothes and changed into clothes with Chinese national characteristics, and he and other five crew members visited the Huqiutou cultural relics and the Datianyang cultural relics successively.
Through the display of all kinds of exquisite pottery, textiles, they saw the scene of the life of the ancestors 5,000 years ago, and the picture of fishermen working hard also appeared in front of their eyes.
At the same time, an archaeological message completely confirmed the previous conjectures.
A German scientist found DNA remains of Austronesian ancestors on the Matsu Islands in the eastern sea, which originated in the coastal areas of Fujian.
The ancestors of the Austronesian people have a scientific relationship with mainland China.
This journey to find its roots has witnessed the arduous process of tracing the roots of a nation and regaining the past. In order to commemorate this persistent pursuit, Elia and his entourage donated the canoe "Freedom" to the Fujian Provincial Museum.
The canoe, a symbol of freedom and peace, has become a link between the cultures of the two places and a living fossil of this journey.
Throughout this 116-day journey, no one was in awe. Who can cross thousands of miles and go through dangers just to find the roots of the ethnic group? Who can be persistent, regardless of the danger, just to trace the footprints of their ancestors?
Now, the dream of Elija and his party has come to a successful conclusion, and the exchange between Chinese culture and foreign culture has only just begun. Every nation and every culture carries the memories and past of a specific historical stage.
The root-seeking action launched by Elia is not only a retrospective of the past, but also a new exchange that condenses confidence and injects vitality.
At this moment, the two seemingly unrelated old and new cultures have engaged in a dialogue across time and space, inheriting and developing while promoting the continuous development of human civilization and the harmonious coexistence of major civilizations.
The Austronesian language groups scattered in the ocean have written a legend in the history of human migration with their unique language and culture.
Yi Liya and others proved with practical actions that the ancestors of ancient times did indeed cross thousands of mountains and rivers and sow the seeds of life on another island.
The courage of the six of them to dare to start over again and their perseverance without fear of hardship will be forever remembered by generations of future generations, and are worthy of learning and respect by all.
Resources:
[1] Shell Qiutou: An ancient settlement born to the sea[N].Fujian Daily,2024-04-19
Fujian Daily,2024-04-11
[3] Go to the eternal covenant between people and the sea-—— Fujian marine civilization temperament from the World Marine Civilization Exchange and Mutual Learning Forum[N].Fujian Daily,2023-10-15