1732-2007-The Westward Journey of the Vasa - Revisiting the Maritime Silk Road (Includes a documentary film "The Vasa: A Journey to Guangzhou Across Four Centuries")

Author: Zeng Zhi, Liu Qiongxiong, Tan Chunhong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: On July 18, 2006, an ancient-style merchant ship from Europe, Sweden, appeared at the Pearl River estuary. Guided by Chinese navigators, the world's largest sailing ship capable of operation, passed through Guishan anchorage in Guangzhou Port, Guangzhou Nansha Container Terminal, and slowly sailed into Guangzhou Nansha Passenger Port. The return of the Goteborg ship to Guangzhou was warmly welcomed by King and Queen of Sweden, who had made their first visit to China, along with a large number of Swedish dignitaries. Hundreds of journalists from different countries and media spread the news of the Goteborg ship's arrival in Guangzhou to the world. Chinese and Swedish television stations conducted an unprecedented large-scale satellite live broadcast. After the official welcome ceremony, the Goteborg ship carried special guests in batches along the Pearl River to the north. Among these guests were volunteers who participated in the reconstruction of the Goteborg ship and Swedish businessmen who funded its reconstruction, as well as their important overseas trade partners. After making brief stops at Huangpu New Port, Huangpu Old Port, and Nei Si Pier along the central channel of the Pearl River, on July 21, the Goteborg ship officially entered the urban area of Guangzhou and docked at Zhou Tou Zui Pier, where it was open to Guangzhou residents for a month of visits. On this day, dragon boat races took place on Baiye Bay with drums and music, offering a unique Lingnan-style welcome ceremony that delighted the Swedish dignitaries and the public. In the evening, a grand fireworks display was held. The arrival of this great ship made Guangzhou a city of celebration. The Pearl River has nurtured Guangzhou. The ancestors of Guangzhou settled here, praying for bountiful harvests, and wove nets and built boats, hoping for prosperity year after year. Many legends and customs recorded the story of the hardworking ancestors of Guangzhou by the Pearl River and on the Baiyun Mountains, as well as the development and changes of Guangzhou over thousands of years. "The Western Arrival Place" witnessed the history of Guangzhou as a gateway for overseas exchanges and trade. "The Western Arrival Place" is located in the area of Xialiu Road, Xiguan District, Liwan District today. Before the Sui Dynasty, it was the shore of the Pearl River. In the seventh year of the Tongguan era (526 AD) of the Nanliang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, the Indian monk Bodhidharma crossed the sea to Guangzhou and landed here, building Xilai An (now Hualin Temple). Later followers revered Bodhidharma as the founder of Chinese Zen Buddhism, so the place where he landed was called "The Western Arrival Place." Like the famous Bodhidharma, countless guests arrived in Guangzhou by ship over the centuries. Most of them landed in Guangzhou along the "Maritime Silk Road." In the distant Qin and Han dynasties, the "Maritime Silk Road," corresponding to the "Overland Silk Road," had already formed. The oldest known route of the "Maritime Silk Road" is recorded in the Book of Han·Geographic Records: merchant ships loaded with silk set sail from Panyu (now Guangzhou), passed through Xuwen Port in Guangdong and Hepu Port in Guangxi, crossed the South China Sea and the Malay Peninsula, entered the Indian Ocean and the southern coast of India, and reached the country of Jiaozheng (now Sri Lanka). By the 1st century BC, Chinese silk had become the most precious clothing in Mediterranean countries, while foreign spices, gold and silver wares, and rare treasures were also transported to Guangzhou by sea. The rise of overseas trade in Guangzhou must be related to the talent of the people of Guangzhou in shipbuilding and navigation. Over a dozen ship models of various types were unearthed from Han Dynasty tombs in Guangzhou, along with Roman glassware, African ivory, Persian silverware, and other rare treasures from abroad. These valuable artifacts indicate that overseas trade in Guangzhou was very prosperous at that time. P5-6