The following article is transferred from the Department of History, East China Normal University.
At 15:00 p.m. on June 8, 2024, Professor Li Bozhong, Chair Professor of Humanities at Peking University and internationally renowned economic historian, was invited to our department to give a wonderful lecture entitled "From Pu Shougeng to Zheng Chenggong: The Historical Evolution of Chinese Maritime Commerce". This lecture is the 16th lecture of the "Lu Simian Chinese History Lecture Series", which was presided over by Professor Huang Chunyan of our department, and many teachers and students from various departments of the university attended the lecture in Room 1306 of the Humanities Building.
This lecture focuses on the historical evolution of China's maritime industry, focusing on three themes: 1. From "Western" to "Southern": the shift of the focus of China's overseas trade; 2. From Abroad to China: The Historical Transformation of China's Maritime Commerce; 3. From Pu Shougeng to Zheng Chenggong: A Case Study of Two Foreign Trade Families. Professor Li Bozhong first pointed out that the Chinese did not lack the courage of Europeans to adventure at sea, and Jonathan Spence once said: "Since 1600, China's destiny as a country has been intertwined with other countries, and it has to work with other countries to search for rare resources, exchange goods, and expand knowledge." China did not open its doors after the Opium Wars, but in 1492, when Columbus discovered a route to the Americas, the disparate civilizations of the past were united to form a true "world system."
Next, Professor Li talked about three major historical changes in ancient China's foreign trade: first, the focus of foreign trade shifted from land trade to maritime trade; Second, the main activity area of maritime trade has shifted from the "Western Ocean" to the "South Sea" where the three oceans meet; Third, it is necessary to shift from official trade to non-governmental trade. These three major transformations do not occur in isolation, but are interconnected and intertwined. Professor Li focused on the development of maritime trade in the Tang and Song dynasties, pointing out that the Song Dynasty was at the forefront of the world in shipbuilding and navigation, and after entering the Age of Discovery, China was also an important part of maritime trade.
China's foreign trade merchants have undergone a historical transformation from foreign to local markets. Most of the foreign trade merchants in the pre-modern period were merchants with multiple faces and characteristics, and they had varying degrees of contact with different forms of violent organizations, including the state, and often possessed considerable force themselves. Powerful businessmen resorted to various means, especially violence, to create a "military-commercial complex" in order to create an order on which international trade depends. According to the different statuses, these businessmen can be divided into official businessmen, private businessmen, military businessmen, Hu businessmen, Chinese and so on. The identities of private traders and pirates are often transformed into each other, "the general rule of the city is to turn into a businessman, and the ban of the city is to turn a businessman into a businessman". In short, from the 8th century to the 15th century, when Europeans sailed to the East, these 800 years were the most active era for the Arabs on the world trade stage.
Finally, Professor Li explained the case study of two foreign trade families, Pu Shougeng and Zheng Chenggong. Pu Shou Geng is also an official and a businessman, and the integration of government and business, can use his power to carry out the spice trade on a larger scale, and can grab profits and increase wealth through various legal and illegal means. The trade system established by Zheng Chenggong was basically a secret merchant organization, with trading houses such as "Shanwu Shang" and "Haiwu Shang". Zheng Zhilong-Zheng Chenggong Group had fierce competition with the Dutch East India Company, and there were also armed conflicts.
By the Ming Dynasty, foreign merchants who had previously been in China had been largely excluded from China's maritime trade. Prior to this, foreign merchants also played an important role in this transformation. They came to China from all over the world and brought all kinds of knowledge of international trade to China. After long-term exchanges and cooperation with local Chinese businessmen, this knowledge has been integrated into China's international trade knowledge system, which is superior to the previous Chinese or foreign knowledge system, thus promoting the great development of China's overseas trade.
After the lecture, Professor Huang Chunyan summarized the lecture and expressed her gratitude to Professor Li for bringing the academic feast to the teachers and students. This lecture presents a panoramic view of the development history of China's maritime trade, and makes a long-term study of maritime commerce from the perspective of global history, which not only fully grasps the historical materials at home and abroad, but also closely integrates with the international research trends, with detailed data, including macro analysis and case studies. In the interactive session, the students actively asked questions and communicated with Professor Li, who answered them one by one, and the participating teachers and students said that they benefited a lot and were quite inspired.
Faculty of History, Media Center
Written by: Jia Linxiao
Editor: Yan Xuechun
Submission email: [email protected]