Ming Fuchuan Ships

Timeline

1. 1368–1380Coastal Fujian shipyards · FujianIn the early Ming the government took over the late Yuan shipbuilding industry of Fujian and Guangdong; in the early Hongwu reign it ordered surveys of coastal ships and regulated private vessel dimensions, incorporating the mature Fuchuan into official naval and grain-transport shipbuilding while retaining watertight bulkheads and the Fuchuan-style stern rudder.
2. 1381–1390Official shipyards at Fuzhou and Quanzhou · FuzhouIn the mid-to-late Hongwu era the Ministry of Works and local guards supervised Fuchuan construction for coastal navies, distinguishing tonnage and armament by warship and patrol classes, while restricting private large-vessel building; official Fuchuan became the mainstay of coastal patrol and auxiliary grain transport.
3. 1405–1433Longjiang Treasure Shipyard, Nanjing · NanjingDuring the Yongle era Zheng He made seven voyages to the Western Ocean; the Longjiang Treasure Shipyard built enormous treasure ships that diverged from Fujian Fuchuan in scale and use—treasure ships for distant-ocean investiture missions, Fuchuan for coastal defense and near-shore transport—together forming the Ming sailing-ship system.