Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "trade"

Echoes across the Sea: Fujian, Persia, and the Arab World by Yuling Ding

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Trade between East and West was facilitated by Chinese, Persian, and Arab merchants, comprising key components of the Maritime Silk Road. This volume of the Illustrated Fujian and the Maritime Silk Road series examines the interactions and connections by sea between this region of the world and Fujian, China, which first started during the Tang Dynasty of Imperial China (AD 618-907). (Earlier exchanges took place via land as far back as the Han Dynasty.)

Described as being of “eight mountains, one river, and one field,” Fujian played a key role in maritime trade because most people were forced to venture asea to make their livings and to survive. (2) The first chapter explores this maritime tradition and includes photographs of early artifacts, such as boat coffins and the remains of a Han canoe. Fuzhou became renowned for shipbuilding, while Quanzhou served as a key port that welcomed foreign travelers to China. During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), ships sailed to and from this city and fifty-eight other countries. One section of the chapter is devoted to the various types of vessels that the Fujianese utilized, such as the niaochuan, a boat with a bow resembling a bird’s beak and eyes painted on either side. The photographs and other artwork clearly demonstrate the differences between these crafts. The work and quality of Fujianese shipwrights made them ideal for the building of naval ships and for those that sailed to faraway shores, such as Admiral Zheng He’s fleet, a model of which is included in this chapter.

The second chapter focuses on the mosques erected in Fujian by Muslim immigrants. They serve as evidence of the close cultural ties between China and the Middle East. One of the earliest is Qingjing Mosque, built in 1009 and the only one that still exists to showcase Central Asian medieval architecture. Many photographs take readers to the most historically important mosques. While places of worship are the focus of the second chapter, the third examines Islamic tombstones. Their inscriptions provide insights into the lives of those who journeyed to and lived in Fujian. Two disciples of Muhammad from the 7th century are buried in Quanzhou.

Chapter four looks at Muslim families who settled in Quanzhou, including the Pu (known for perfume), the Ding (including Ding Gongchen, an expert in military firearms who authored a number of studies on the subject), and the Guo (sea traders and fishermen). These families’ architecture best shows the intertwining of Islamic and Chinese cultures.

The fifth chapter delves into trade commodities and tributes. Persian and Arab merchants bring with them incense, such as frankincense (used ritualistically and to aid medicinally). Pepper, or black gold, is a spice used to flavor food or help cure ailments. The Chinese export cinnamon, musk, and rhubarb. Among the plants introduced to China are jasmine, henna, narcissus, and aloe. Tribute items include ivory, tortoiseshell, and pearls. Another important aspect of culture exchange pertains to etiquette and customs of daily life, such as murals, festivals, Arabic calligraphy, and the hijab that women wear. Also covered is the production and trading of Fujianese porcelain, whose importance is evidenced in the 2007 discovery of the Nanhai One shipwreck.

A key feature of this book is the inclusion of dates, rather than simply identifying dynasties or centuries. The artwork of ships is amazing, although some lack translations of the Chinese that appears with the illustrations, such as on that of the Xiamen Ship. (I believe these identify ship parts, but that is only an educated guess.) Also of importance is that this volume includes more narrative than in other books in the series and the English translation is seamless. The authors felt it important enough to include details about when boats sail and how long trips take – tidbits that are rarely included in many works, but which are of interest to some readers. This title also includes one of the most extensive lists of references. Echoes Across the Sea is a fascinating window into China’s maritime world and how cultural exchanges with other countries affected its own evolution and history.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Ding-Lin.html)



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Charles Johnson's "General History of the Pyrates" and Global Commerce by Noel Chevalier

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


We tend to view pirates of the past through colored lenses tainted by the present. What we believe may or may not be true, not just because of this significant passage of time but also because an 18th-century author interlaced fact and fiction to create a bestseller – which was most likely his original intent. Today, this work is more often than not viewed as a primary historical document, one written by a contemporary of the pirates, and he may have been one or knew some personally. But what if this collection of “true-crime stories” is far more complex than that? Instead of writing a simple biography on pirates of the day, the author actually wished to provide commentary on commerce, ethics, the law, and politics in the early 1700s.

This is the premise behind Chevalier’s latest book. He makes it clear that when we talk about A General History of the Pyrates, we are not discussing a single edition. This bestseller was sold in different renderings over the course of four years and differences exist between them. Chevalier examines four editions – all published over a four-year period – rather than just using the first published book. These are the original version, published in May 1724 by Charles Rivington; a second edition published in August of that year by Thomas Warner; a third book in 1725 by the same publisher that added an additional pirate; and the 1728 version printed by Thomas Woodward, which consisted of two volumes.

While Chevalier clearly demonstrates that General History is actually a multi-layered book, he also delves into scholars’ attempts to resolve a mystery surrounding this book. For about three centuries, the true identity of its author, Captain Charles Johnson, has been guessed at but never positively pinpointed.

Although the title suggests that Johnson’s book is a history, it’s really a collection of biographies on pirates who lived during a short time span that has become known as the “golden age of piracy.” Those who read below the surface will find references to points of particular interest during the 1720s: colonialism, ethics, politics, society, and trade. According to Chevalier, “Johnson’s General History uses its pirate subject as mirrors of the age, ultimately suggesting that, odious as they are, pirates differ from better-placed criminals only in class, and in the hard punishments meted out to them that their betters almost always escaped.” (xii)

Trade, colonialism, and piracy are intricately entwined, for it's impossible to have one without the others. While the expansion of markets and products lead to greater wealth, this wealth comes at a cost because some trade relies on human trafficking and inhuman working conditions.

Johnson’s commentary may have been about the world in which he lived, but at least some of these observations can be associated with current situations. For example, Sir Robert Walpole was a political powerhouse whose dominance then has relevance to government today. Another similarity involves socioeconomic realities. Changing attitudes are equally relevant, for its easy for friends to become enemies and vice versa.

This volume – part of the Transits: Literature, Thought & Culture, 1650-1850 series – is divided into two sections: “Monsters” and “Great Men” with an interlude that discusses social ethics of the 1720s. Pirates are not stick figures; they are multi-faceted beings just like any other human being. The “Monster” chapters show how General History pirates fit that persona. They threaten the traditional social order. They don’t conform to expectations. They live on the margins. This is why they are monsters who need to be prosecuted and eradicated. Chevalier selects several of Johnson’s pirates to demonstrate this: Blackbeard, Mary Read and Anne Bonny, and Edward Low.

The interlude explores the ethics of wealth and colonial expansion. It may seem odd, but pirates were essential to global commerce. There is ambiguity here because some colonists and merchants welcomed the trade pirates brought, whereas England saw them as interlopers. The latter must be punished; the former must conform. Chevalier focuses on several period publications and the aftermath of the South Sea Bubble. Piracy, however, is not a key subject in the interlude; what he discusses is pertinent to General History and how monsters can also be “Great Men.”

Just because the government or society sees pirates as monsters, they don’t necessarily see themselves that way. While similarities exist between merchants and pirates, it’s not okay for the latter to act like the former. Doing so threatens the social order and makes it difficult for respectable people to understand what “greatness” means. For example, Johnson’s pirates are shown as “intelligent, resourceful, capable leaders,” but in the blink of an eye, they are also portrayed as “violent and cruel.” (110) This ambiguity is illustrated with Bartholomew Roberts, whose piratical activities and captaincy Chevalier likens to a professional businessman. This section also looks at how England developed a proper manner for punishing pirates – one that was public and ritualistic.

To enrich the narrative there are illustrations and an appendix listing the various editions of General History. Endnotes, a bibliography of primary and secondary sources, and an index are included.

Chevalier mentions in his preface that he hopes to “open a fuller exploration of General History and its complexities.” (xii) He certainly achieves this, providing readers of Johnson’s book with new ways to examine the pirates within the framework of the society in which they operated. Instead of just seeing General History as an historical document, Chevalier shows that it has far greater depth and is an important example of period literature. As he phrases it, the book “is a study of the phenomenon of piracy as it has manifested itself in Britain between 1714 and 1724 – specifically, the years following the War of the Spanish Succession, the arrival of the Hanoverian monarchy, and the ascendancy of the Whig government.” (28-29) This is key because these and other events pertaining to global commerce impact how Johnson portrays the pirates in the various editions. Although a number of articles have been written about Johnson and General History, Chevalier is the first to examine the book in greater depth as a literary work. In doing so, he illuminates what readers may not understand and provides context to better enrich the reading experience. This allows us to see these pirates as Johnson saw them and to better understand where our ideas of piracy come from.

Even if studies of 18th-century literature aren’t your forte, Chevalier’s book is essential reading. Without it, your understanding of golden age pirates lacks depth because what you read and who they truly were are not and cannot be the same. Highly recommended.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Chevalier....)



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