Legend of Weiyang, [China's Promise] Zhangzhou 1567-2023: Clark Porcelain from the Four Hundred Years of the Silk Road | Amsterdam | Zhangzhou

On June 19th, Zhangzhou, China Daily reported that in the 31st year of the Wanli reign, a famous Dutch port Amsterdam held an auction, and "Clark porcelain" from China was highly sought after. These over 100000 pieces of blue and white porcelain, with a combination of Chinese and Western patterns and patterns, have won the love of European royalty and were quickly snatched away, causing a sensation. Later, it was confirmed that this batch of so-called "Clark porcelain" blue and white porcelain came from Zhangzhou, Fujian. Because porcelain was intercepted from a Portuguese merchant ship, the Netherlands did not know the origin and name of the porcelain, so this style of blue and white porcelain was named after the Portuguese merchant ship "Clark".

Nowadays, Zhangzhou is no longer a major port in Fujian, but more than 400 years ago during the Ming Dynasty, Zhangzhou was a world-class port and the only legitimate civilian foreign trade port designated by the Ming Dynasty. On June 18th, the third route of the "2023 China International Media Theme Interview Event" met in Fujian to visit Zhangzhou and learn about the legendary stories of Zhangzhou, an important node on the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

Yuegang Ancient Town: Achievements of the Silver Empire in the Age of Great Navigation

Yuegang is a small fishing village on the Jiulong River in Zhangzhou, located in a remote corner of the sea. Its shape resembles the moon, hence its name Yuegang. Nowadays, at the Rongchuan Wharf site in Yuegang, reeds have grown all over. As the river recedes and passes through the reeds, one can see cargo ships passing by on the Jiulong River several tens of meters away. The bustling scene of "people gathering and merchants gathering" is no longer the same.

The rise and fall of Yuegang began in the Ming Dynasty. Due to the invasion of Japanese pirates, a maritime ban policy was implemented in the early Ming Dynasty, and major ports such as Quanzhou declined. Due to its remote location and lax management, Yuegang had been secretly engaging in overseas trade with the outside world during the era of great navigation. It was not until the Longqing period of the Ming Dynasty in 1567, when the new emperor ascended the throne, that he chose to open a sea ban at Yuegang and allowed the sale of goods from the East and the West. In order to strengthen the control of maritime merchants, the Ming Dynasty delineated the areas of Longxi, Zhangpu, and Tong'an counties located at the mouth of the Jiulong River and along the coast, and established "Haicheng County" with the county seat located in Yuegang.

As a result, Yuegang ushered in its glorious era and also turned a new page in China's maritime trade. At that time, the Maritime Silk Road had already expanded to Europe, and the "three flagship products" of ancient China's export trade, porcelain, silk, and tea, entered the European market in large quantities, exchanging for a massive amount of silver, making China, which was not originally rich in silver, gradually become the "Silver Empire".

The opening of Yuegang also changed the economic structure of Zhangzhou. In order to cater to the overseas market, a large amount of porcelain was fired locally, known as "Zhang porcelain", which is a blue and white porcelain with Western style patterns, specifically for export. The "Clark porcelain" that caused a sensation in Amsterdam in 1603 was later confirmed to be Zhang porcelain. According to statistics, since the auction in Amsterdam, there have been 16 million pieces of Zhangzhou porcelain shipped to Europe.

In addition to exports, merchants from Yuegang also brought back plants such as sweet potatoes and tomatoes from the Maritime Silk Road, changing the diet of the Chinese people.

From Zhangzhou porcelain and sweet potatoes to the construction of Taiwan, Zhangzhou cannot help but make people respect this city.

Daimei Ancient Village: Returning from the Sea and Rising Smoke and Fire

On the banks of the Jiulong River in Zhangzhou, there is an ancient town called Daimei, which was built by the Chen family of Daimei after they became rich through the Maritime Silk Road. The Longhe River flowing through Daimei is connected to Nanxi Port on the Jiulong River, and goods can be transferred from Nanxi Port to Yuegang through the Longhe River, and then sold at sea through Yuegang.

The houses in the ancient town are ancient houses from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with red tiles and white walls on the swallowtail ridge. The front and back houses face north and south. The staff explained that after the completion of the Daimei Ancient Village Ancestral Mansion in the mid Ming Dynasty, the people of the tribe established a rule that "the building system should not exceed the ancestral system". Each family building a house must follow the architectural plan of the ancestral mansion and cannot be higher than it.

There are 49 ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties in the village, with a system of "Nine Palace Architecture". The front row is horizontally constructed with 9 ancient houses, and the back row is aligned with the front row and constructed backwards in sequence. The "Nine Palace Architecture" showcases a prominent family background, demonstrating the brilliance of the Daimei family created by the Maritime Silk Road.

Chenghuang Temple: Overseas Travelers Cautiously Follow the Future

As the saying goes, where there is a city, there is a Chenghuang Temple. Haicheng County, born along the Maritime Silk Road, stands a Chenghuang Temple that witnessed the rise and fall of the Maritime Silk Road.

The term "City God" can be found in the Book of Changes, which states that "if the city is restored to the God, do not use a teacher.". "City" refers to the city wall, "God" refers to the moat guarding the city, and "City God" refers to the god guarding the city. It is reported that the City God is highly localized, and the City God gods in each place are often different. They are usually people who have made significant contributions to the local area, national heroes in history, or upright and kind people. In the Han Dynasty, the concept of upright people becoming the City God after death emerged. In the Tang Dynasty, the City God evolved into a local official in the underworld. In the Ming Dynasty, the development of the City God faith underwent a turning point. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict requiring cities above the county level to build Chenghuang Temple and build a city god belief that is completely consistent with the administrative level.

The Chenghuang Temple protects the city and protects the people, punishes the evil and promotes the good, which reflects the spirit of integrity, loyalty and serving the people. As Zhu Yuanzhang said when he issued an imperial edict to the world, "I set up the City God God to make people know; if people are afraid, they dare not act rashly", which has also become the core part of the City God culture. Wang Chaoxiang, the chief executive of Chenghuang Temple in Haicheng, said that a two meter abacus was hung on the door beam of Chenghuang Temple in Haicheng County, which meant that "human calculation is not as good as heaven calculation" and warned people to do more good deeds.

As a pure local belief, the City God embodies the fundamental ideology of the Chinese nation as Chinese people go abroad to pray for the protection of their hometown gods. As a result, the City God faith has added a layer of spiritual bond function, closely connecting with Chinese people at home and abroad. Wang Chaoxiang said that the descendants of Zhangzhou people living in Taiwan, China would return to the Chenghuang Temple of Haicheng City every year to worship ancestors.

With the Chinese people traveling overseas along the Maritime Silk Road, they found solace in the City God culture, allowing them to bravely ride the wind and waves, and shaping the image of Minnan people who love to fight and win. The Confucian culture of being cautious and pursuing the future, with a simple desire for peace, health, and family harmony, connects the Chinese people who used to cross the sea with their families.