Southern Song Fuchuan

Timeline

1. 1087–1127Quanzhou · Fujian ProvinceIn the second year of Yuanyou (Northern Song), a maritime trade office was established in Quanzhou, and Fujian ranked alongside Guangzhou as a center of sea shipbuilding; Xie Lü's 'Song of Quannan' states 'To the south of the prefecture the sea stretches endlessly, every year boats are built to reach foreign lands'; the fuchuan's sharp bottom, broad beam, and watertight bulkhead structure matured in this period.
2. 1127–1140Quanzhou port · Fujian ProvinceAfter the Jingkang Southern Move, northern ports declined, and Quanzhou, far from the war, surpassed Mingzhou and Guangzhou to become China's largest port; Lü Yihao stated 'sea ships from Fujian are the finest,' and fuchuan carried ocean-going cargo such as porcelain, silk, and spices.
3. 1140–1150Fujian coastal shipyards (Fuzhou, Quanzhou) · Fujian ProvinceDuring the Shaoxing era, fuchuan were used both for maritime trade transport and as Southern Song naval warships; in 1129 the Song court ordered warships to be equipped with trebuchets for hurling gunpowder bombs. Fuchuan were tall and stable, suited to carrying ballistae and thunderclap bombs, conducting patrols and transport in Yangtze and southeastern naval battles.
4. 1140–1200Houzhu Port, Quanzhou Bay · Quanzhou CitySouthern Song fuchuan used multi-layer planking, tung-oil putty caulking, and 12–13 watertight bulkheads, so damage to a single compartment would not sink the whole ship; the excavated sea ship at Houzhu Port had a surviving length of 24 meters and an estimated loaded displacement of about 200 tons, a typical physical example of the fuchuan-type ocean-going cargo ship.