Individual Paper
2. From Oceanic Crossroads: Empires, Networks and Histories
Guangzhou became South China's most important international port during the 8th to 9th centuries. Its local product-- ceramic jars were the crucial utilitarian ceramic objects circulated from Guangzhou, the node of trading networks, to the overseas markets. This paper will study the water's connection through Guangdong ceramic jars found in three representative shipwrecks in the crossroad of Maritime Asia, namely the Belitung Wreck in Indonesia, Phanom Surin Wreck in Thailand, and Chau Tan Wreck in Vietnam dated around the 8th to 9th centuries. Three research questions will be discussed: 1. What was the significance of selecting standardized types, shapes and quantities of Guangdong jars in these three shipwrecks? 2. How did the Chinese inscriptions on Guangdong jars give us new clues on the ships' local packing methods and merchandising choices? 3. What were the functions of Guangdong ceramic jars for long-distance maritime cultural exchange? This paper will provide a new understanding of using Guangdong ceramic objects and the transcultural social and economic water connection in global history.
Wai Yee, Sharon Wong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong