Seagoing Vessels and Voyages in the Song Dynasty

  This chapter discusses crew composition and modes of navigation, offshore routes, offshore trade, shipwrecks and salvation, and ocean knowledge and its imagery. The author of this book finds out that marine navigation needs the participation of the ship owner, captain, mate, helmsman, head technician, anchor droppers, paddlers, sailors, minor boatmen, and passengers, who formed a temporary society. Maritime transportation consisted of two kinds of routes: ocean-going routes from Chinese ports to overseas countries, and inshore lanes sailing the domestic near-sea areas. The Overseas Administration Law, formulated by Ancient Customs of the Song Dynasty, stipulated that only the harbors who established Ancient Customs were authorized to issue trade licenses, and that ships had to return to their departure port for taxation. Ocean-going navigation particularly depended on seasonal trade winds. Offshore routes could be divided into two major sections: the north section and the south section, with Mingzhou serving as the midpoint. Oceangoing routes were connected to offshore routes through several critical ports with Ancient Customs, enabling seagoing trade to access offshore and domestic markets through planned offshore routes. Offshore trade mainly involved the exchange of grains, imports, exports, and specialties from different regions. The Song government allowed merchants to engage in offshore trade and incorporated it into the customs administration system. The offshore trade created a distinct regional market characterized by a stable commodity composition, merchant groups, and market relations. The assistance provided by the Song government to maritime travelers had significant implications for various aspects of their society. On the one hand, the Song government considered itself as the orthodox Huaxia nation and claimed that the majority and the minority were ruled by one emperor. On the other hand, the provision of aid to the shipwrecked in the Song Dynasty holds significance in economics and national defense. The main source of first-hand ocean knowledge in the Song Dynasty was the group of sea merchants who had been involved in seafaring practice for a considerable period. Additionally, envoys and monks who participated in sailing also contributed to the first-hand ocean knowledge.