PREFACE

Mr. LI Jiping，who edited The Globe-trotting Cornucopia：Maritime Trade in Ancient China asked me to write a few words by way of preface for the updated edition. While I have，as part of my own research，which has mostly been in the area of maritime frontiers，done some work related to ancient maritime and seafaring issues，I am by no means an expert on them. Still，I have decided to oblige，instead of disappointing by turning down the request. I shall attempt to do no more than offering a few reflections on the subject matter dealt with in these pages，drawing largely on what I have learned，limited as it is，over the years about maritime trade in ancient China.

China is commonly regarded as a country territorially defined by vast spans of continental landmasses. Since ancient times，and quite consistently，the seat of political power has been located in inland areas. Whether or not one believes this [geographical] characterization [of the country as a whole] to be accurate，it must nonetheless be acknowledged that there was anything but a dearth of maritime activities by the Chinese people since the earliest of times. In fact，abundant archeological evidence，including remnants of shell middens discovered in China’s coastal waters，as well as historical documents，such as those attesting to the use of shells as a form of currency in antiquity，developments in shipbuilding technologies and seafaring capabilities，and the way inhabitants of coastal regions lived exist that show beyond any doubt that the Chinese people have long been actively engaged with the seas. It may even be fair to say that there were periods in history during which China could claim to be something of a maritime “superpower’. This vibrant relationship provided the necessary material preconditions for the Maritime Silk Road to emerge and to grow. Conversely，the existence of the Maritime Silk Road constitutes indisputable proof of the endurance and fruitfulness of that relationship.

Time and again the Maritime Silk Road，much like the land-based trade route of the same name，played a crucial role in connecting China proper with the outside. Especially after the Sui and Tang dynasties，it may have at times functioned as the primary passageway. During the Ming and Qing dynasties，however，when the regimes imposed measures proscribing maritime trade，China’s maritime activities suffered serious disruptions，and were at times on the brink of a complete halt. Some commercial activities did take place，notably in association with the Zheng He-led maritime expeditions，lifting of the ban by Ming emperor Longqing on international maritime trade，and operations in late-Ming and early-Qing of the large commercial fleets headed by Zheng Zhilong （aka Nicholas Iquan Gaspard）. But aside from these，China’s international maritime commerce in this period was reduced to little more than a trickle，which came in the forms of inbound shipments of goods on junks and of tributes from Japan during the Ming dynasty and，during the Qing dynasty，freight delivery by ships from the West that were specially authorized by the imperial court.

This part of China’s history remains，unfortunately，little known，certainly not nearly as much as it deserves，which partly explains why when people think of China today they still mostly think of a territorial formation dominated by land. This underscores the need to take seriously the study of China’s maritime history，including that of the Maritime Silk Road. In addition to more research，greater efforts should be made to educate the general public about the country’s maritime credentials.

Thanks in no small part to the introduction of the Belt and Road Initiative and the national strategy for maritime development，academic studies of the Maritime Silk Road have been quite productive and yielded voluminous output. But much is wanting in terms of quality. Research findings tend to be long on conceptual analysis and broad generalizations while short on in-depth discussions of specific issues and topics. The number of studies focusing on trade far exceeds the number of those that look at - more often than not in passing only even when they do- such issues as culture，thoughts and ideas，the arts and technologies. The majority of published works on trade offer qualitative analysis and quantitative studies are few and far between. Clearly，ample room exists for improvements. That it made possible trades in such things as silk，spices and tea across vast distances does not mean，however，that the Maritime Silk Road was merely a trade route. In fact，its significance went far beyond the importation of material goods，which brought with them many other things that also mattered，including culture，religion and practices，i.e.，ways of doing things. The co-existence of different religions in the city of Quanzhou illustrates this well. Future studies in this area should be，I believe，not only greater in depth but also broader in scope，i.e.，more multi-dimensional. A full appreciation of the magnitude and impact of ancient China’s maritime engagements is only possible by combining broad-strokes and granular details.

Of course，many conditions have to be met for those activities linked to the Maritime Silk Road that took place in the coastal waters and on the high seas to be materially possible. These include sophisticated technologies and strong capabilities in shipbuilding，seafaring，food storage，and manufacturing of exported goods. Needless to say，chief among them is a country’s shipbuilding and navigation prowess：sturdily built ships and sound navigation equipment and technologies were the sine qua non for long-haul maritime travels. How treacherously dangerous and difficult these journeys could be is brought home by the fact that it took the Tang dynasty monk Jianzhen，who had been tasked with bringing Buddhist scriptures and other valuables to Japan，six tries to finally reach its shores. His first five attempts at the crossing all ended in failure. Japanese envoys faced similar challenges. Many perished during their ill-fated journeys to China during the Tang dynasty. The policy perspective is also a crucial one：the stance of the imperial rulers on the matter was often an important factor determining if maritime activities over the passageway were facilitated or obstructed. A careful study of all these issues is necessary for a thorough understanding of the history of the Maritime Silk Road.

The Globe-trotting Cornucopia：Maritime Trade in Ancient China offers readers a rich historical account of the Maritime Silk Road since the Sui and Tang dynasties. The city of Quanzhou takes center stage in this well-told story，and effective use is made of historical currencies from different places around the world to paint a picture with vivid details of the vibrant maritime scene in these times. Combining broad-stroke narratives and in-depth discussions on specific topics，and striking the right balance between scholarly rigor and accessibility，the volume is a valuable addition to the reading list of anyone trying to understand better its subject matter. Academics，researchers and the general readers all stand to benefit from more books like this that both inform and inspire about not just the Maritime Silk Road but more broadly，the country’s past，present and future maritime glory.