Author: Lin Chaohua
Over the past hundred years, Chinese and foreign scholars have confused and made mistakes in ancient place names about the routes of Zheng He's fleet through Singapore. The author accurately corrects and determines the needle path (heading), voyage and water depth of ancient books and ancient nautical charts from modern maritime science.
The discovery of Guanyu
Although Zheng He's nautical chart indicates a small island in the Strait of Singapore, no one is sure which island it is singapore and its importance.
During the search, it was found to be Pu Sakijang Bendera (now St John Island) off the coast of Singapore.
Mao Kuntu in Mao Yuanyi's WuBeiZhi (1621) is the only chart of Zheng He's nautical chart. Among them, starting from malacca official factories, passing through the Singapore Strait, and returning to China via a section of White Caede (reference figure (1)), the author refers to the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, Western and local documents and charts from the 16th to the 19th centuries, and adds modern place names to the ancient names, which is convenient for the introduction of ancient and modern comparisons:
Raffles Lighthouse, Singapore, Pak Ye Mun Strait Lighthouse Map (1): Zheng He Naut Route from Malacca to Singapore. (Lin Chaohua)
Guanchang: The Chronicle of the Western Fanguo was written by Gong Zhen of the Ming Dynasty in 1434, recounting his seventh voyage to the West with Zheng He. Narration in The Manchukuo (Malacca):
The Chinese Xia Xiyangfang took this as the outer palace, erected a fence wall, set up four gates and a drum tower, and built a heavy site in the city, and built a complete storehouse.
The Ming Dynasty set up an official factory in Malacca, which was a trade transit station, warehouse, base or foreign capital in the Western Ocean.
Gili Gate: At the southern tip of the Strait of Malacca, on the present-day Indonesian island of Pulau Karimun.
Long Loin Island: Pulau Satumu, at the southern tip of Singapore, is also home to Raffles Lighthouse. It is the Collective Name for this small island or the main island of Singapore in the Ming Dynasty. In the 17th century, the Portuguese called it Pulau Panjang.
Temasek Gate: The old word "gate" refers to a waterway or strait. The southern stretch of Sadum Island in Singapore's Main Strait, close to Singapore, is called Temasek Gate.
Dragon's Tooth Gate: Yuan Dynasty Wang Dayuan wrote "Island Yi Zhiluo" (1349):
The gate intersects with two mountains in a single horse, and if the dragon's tooth is between them, there is a waterway between them.
Referring to the west of the early precarious port, at the entrance of the waterway 18 meters deep, two stone pillars separated by 337 meters have been blown up by the British. The South Rock is located just outside the cape of The Western End of Sentosa Island (Tanjong Rimua), and the North Rock is located outside the south corner of Labardo Park, tanjong Berlayar, known to the Malays as Batu Berlayar, the Stone of Departure.
Pass through the Dragon's Tooth Gate (Sentosa Island) in the middle of the two stone pillars, and the entrance to the harbour is lined with tall trees. Yuan Dynasty literature records that when a ship passes, the mast will touch the branches of the tree, and pirates will take the opportunity to jump from the tree to rob the ship.
Dragon's Tooth Gate (Strait): Does not refer to the two rock pillars of the Dragon's Tooth Gate in the port of Prea.
Many ancient books record from the course and voyage, Zheng He's fleet passed through the Dragon's Tooth Gate, referring to the main strait of Singapore south of Guanyu Island (Qizhang Mountain), because it is not far from the Dragon's Tooth Gate in The Harbour of Qianba or Sentosa Island, so it is also called the Dragon's Tooth Gate (Strait).
Guanyu: Refers to Qizhangshan Island. Referring to Figure 2, 7.3 nautical miles south of Raffles Lighthouse to the east, is the island. Guanyu also appears in Indonesia and Mauritius, which may have similar functions to the official factory, but the scale status should be lower than that of the official factory.
Picture (2): From Manla ka back to Guangdong Needle Road: from Changwai island to Guanyu Island. (Lin Chaohua)
White Reef: Pedra Branca, part of Singapore, at the eastern end of the Strait, houses the Horsburgh lighthouse.
The Singapore Strait Route in ancient texts
Look at the different ancient texts that record Zheng He's route in the Singapore Strait:
1. Ming Dynasty Navigation Manual "Sending with the Wind" (1593):
A. Siam to Morokko
B. On the right, go west to Mountain No. 2
C. Guangdong to grind Liujia needle
D. Manla Cafe back to Guangdong Needle Road:
Jili Stuffy Mountain ShanChen (120 degrees) and Yichen (112.5 degrees), the second is not feasible south of Long Waist Island, fearing that it will be shallow on Umbrella Reef and Sand Pond. Out of the Dragon's Tooth Gate (Strait), single (090 degrees) needle to take Guanyu Island, to prevent the south side of the cow reef. A needle (82.5 degrees) five more boats to take the north side of The White Caede cross the boat.
2. Ming Zhang Xie's "Eastern and Western Examinations" written in 1617.
3. The route on Zheng He's nautical chart.
With two sets of needles 1D plus 3, the exact distance and direction of navigation in the Strait of Singapore can draw the track of Zheng He's fleet as shown in figure (2).
In addition to 1B, all five routes indicate that the voyage from White Caedet to Dragon's Tooth Gate (Strait) requires five more. One more 2.4 hours, five more 12 hours.
1A, 1C and 2, the three routes from The Dragon's Tooth Gate (Strait) to the Gilly Gate are all three times, that is, 7.2 hours.
The navigation time of the entire Singapore Strait is five more than three changes, or eight more, which is equivalent to 19.2 hours.
The actual distance is 58.8 nautical miles, divided by 19.2 hours, the average sailing speed of 3.06 knots (close to the average speed of 3.59 knots on Zheng He's 15 routes), which can be deduced by more:
a. From White Reef to Dragon's Tooth Gate (Strait), that is, Qiqi Zhangshan Mountain, it takes five changes, 36.7 nautical miles.
b. Longya Gate (Strait) is Qizhang Mountain, and it takes three changes to Jilimen Island, 22.1 nautical miles.
The a and b segments are consistent with today's NAIC measurements, indicating that the needle path is correct.
"Sending with the Wind" 1D, from manlaca back to Guangdong, the only needle road proposed, the distance from Jili Boring Mountain to Changwaist Island (Raffles Lighthouse) is two more, from LongWaist Island with a single (090 degrees) needle to take (heading) Guanyu, but did not say the voyage time, Guanyu took five more boats to take the White Reef.
From the 1A, 1C and 2 routes, the entire strait voyage is eight more (19.2 hours). So, find out that the distance from LongWaist Island to Guanyu Island is eight more minus seven more (two more + five more), that is, one more (2.4 hours X 3.06 knots), 7.3 nautical miles.
This important clue points out that 7.3 nautical miles east of Longwaist Island is accurate to the location of Guanyu Island in Longya Gate (Strait).
The importance of Guanyu island in Singapore
A 1604 hydrographic map of Singapore drawn by the Portuguese astronomer and mathematician Manoel Godinho de Eredia (Figure (Figure 3)) records that the two southern islands are together under the same name Pulo Siquijan (the malay island of Barking deer), one of which is Qizhangshan Island.
Figure (3): On the map of Eledia in 1604, Puro Siquijan is the island of Qizhangshan. (Lin Chaohua)
The day before Raffles landed in Singapore in 1819, he first ascended Mount Qizhang to meet with the Sultan of Johor, Tin Maung. Signal stations and beckoning ships were then set up on the island. The island was valued and developed by the rulers hundreds of years ago, and indigenous and Chinese immigrants were concentrated. Because at the edge of Singapore's main strait, the haven deep-water anchorage is close to The Dragon's Tooth Gate (Harbour of Prey) and the mouth of the Singapore River, which facilitates trade.
The large area and flat terrain make it suitable for large fortifications, warehouses or accommodation. During the Ming Dynasty's Yongle Dynasty, Singapore may return to the control of the Malacca Dynasty, and this relationship and superior geography made Qizhangshan an overseas trade base or transit point for the Ming Dynasty in Singapore. This is also a special relationship and historical new discovery between Singapore and the Yongle Dynasty 600 years ago.
Discover ceramic fragments
The author also found 256 ceramic fragments from the late Ming and Qing dynasties at Qizhang Mountain, which proves that there were Chinese settlements on the island in the early days, reinforcing the author's view that Qizhang Mountain is Guanyu Island. It is hoped that scholars will do deeper research or archaeological excavations to prove Zheng He's activities in Singapore.
Ceramic fragments found by the author on Qizhangshan Island.
It is hoped that the discovery of Guanyu will fill a gap in the history of the Portuguese after the fall of the Temasek Dynasty and the destruction of the Lion City settlement in 1613.