Sailing into Hong Kong's Seafaring Past

Li Juan puts away his spy glass and grabs hold of his water container. This is the third time he has taken a drink within the hour. The noon sun is bearing down on him with all its fury and yet he has to remain steadfast. The young man turns towards the narrow path leading down the mountain but his replacement is still nowhere in sight. He takes an additional mouthful hoping that it will help dissipate his growing hunger pangs. His watch at the top of Victoria Peak began just before dawn and there was hardly any time for breakfast.

He returns his gaze to the horizon. Still nothing. 'I hope Flying Cloud arrives during my watch,' Li Juan tells himself knowing that each successful spotter gets an incentive. That extra dollar will certainly go a long way in helping his family through lean times. Then, a tiny speck appears in the distance. Li Juan quickly reaches for his telescope to get a better look. Slowly by surely a mast appears over the horizon. The young man's heart beats faster as he watches impatiently. Finally, the ship's flag comes into sight. A wide smile spreads across his face when the unmistakable Chinese dragon twining around the Scottish thistle insignia comes into sight. Without a doubt, the ship is Flying Cloud returning to Hong Kong with its precious cargo from Europe and India.

Without wasting any more valuable time, Li Juan releases the homing pigeon from its cage while saying a silent prayer for the bird to fly safely to his employer's warehouse by the harbour. In less than fifteen minutes, Li Juan spots a fast cutter going out to intercept approaching ship. The cutter has only one mission, the most important mission of all - to get the bag of letters from Europe and then make a quick turnaround to bring the valuable information back to land quietly and without raising any suspicion. The merchants privy to this privileged news can then decide to either buy more stock or sell their remaining supply. By the time Flying Cloud finally docks in Victoria Harbour, their fortunes would have already been made.

This is the most effective technique used by European trading houses to gain an upper hand in 19th century Hong Kong. News can sometimes take up to six months to arrive from Europe. European business owners or more commonly referred to as taipans make handsome profits by just getting the news a little bit earlier than the others.

The Hong Kong Maritime Museum at Central Pier 8 is the best place to learn more about how maritime trade developed during the early formative years. I start with the section highlighting the early China trade leading up to the Opium Wars. Right from the beginning, Hong Kong served as an important Chinese maritime centre due to its strategic location and deep harbour. The Tuen Mun region in the New Territories served as a port for pearl exploitation during the Tang dynasty while Lantau Island was famous for salt production up until the 10th century.

Chinese maritime influence expanded rapidly during the reign of Emperor Yongle (1360 - 1424). This period, considered the golden age of the Ming Dynasty, saw a sequence of epic voyages that began to radically change world history.

On 10 July 1405, Admiral Zheng He led a massive flotilla of 255 vessels from Nanjing on the first of what would be seven unprecedented voyages. His aim was to help affirm China's dominant geopolitical standing in the China Seas and Indian Ocean. Between 1405 to 1433, Zheng He, together with his second in command Wang Jinghong, guided the fleet to faraway places and established new relations with various coastal city states. Melaka was visited during the third voyage.

Unfortunately, this grand plan for maritime expansion came under threat after the sixth voyage. Yongle's half-hearted suspension order was enforced by his successor, Emperor Hongxi who only ruled for a year. A brief respite for the seventh and final voyage was allowed by Emperor Xuande (1425-1435) but by the time the last voyage returned, China began turning away from the sea.

Scholars speculate that there could have been many reasons for this change of mind. The Chinese court at that time was persistently plagued with disputes and power struggles. The ascendance of anti-maritime attitudes and fiscal tightening made matters worse for China's maritime sector. The Chinese change in policy served the rising European maritime expansion well. It allowed them to begin their move into the power vacuum in Asia.

The first foreigner to make his way into the region was Bartolomeu Dias who discovered a way past the treacherous Cape of Good Hope in 1488. Portuguese influence expanded further when Vasco da Gama reached Calicut, South India in 1498. Then, in just three short years, the Portuguese forces under the command of Afonso de Albuquerque took Melaka and the entire south coast of the Malay Peninsula together with it. The Portuguese aspirations in Asia did not end there. Two years later, in 1513, Portuguese explorer Jorge Álvares sailed past the Guangdong coast and hoisted the Portuguese flag on Hong Kong's Tuen Mun region.

Porcelain from southern China was exported from various seaports including Hong Kong staring from the early 15th century. Ships laden with these precious cargo were occasionally caught in violent storms and sank. There are several interesting exhibits in the museum which are displayed to resemble shipwrecks. I like the clever use of sand and barnacle encrusted storage jars to mimic scenes common to divers when exploring the ancient sunken vessels.

The series of 34 watercolour paintings provide a unique documentation of how the skilled craftsmen worked in Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital of the world. Scholars speculate that this unique artwork collection of artwork was used to explain the origin and use of porcelain to the western market. I like these paintings as they illustrate the different porcelain production stages, right from the division of labour until the time when the ready cargo is loaded onboard ships in Canton (now Guangzhou).

The Anthony and Susan Hardy Gallery features a rich collection of paintings and artefacts from the China Trade. It tells the story of the British unquenching thirst for tea and how they deviously corrected the trade imbalance by introducing opium to the Chinese. Tensions with the Guangzhou authorities started simmering in the 1820s. At that time, the British had already begun considering Hong Kong as an important naval base. By 1830, the British East India Company had about 22 vessels stationed at the north western point of the island.

Initially, British merely intended to use Hong Kong as a roadstead, an open but fairly sheltered anchorage with no port facilities. However, things began to change during the outbreak of the First Opium War in 1839. The British quickly saw Hong Kong's potential as an important military staging point to send warships and troops up the Pearl River Delta. The end of the First Opium War saw the Royal Marines hoisting the British flag at Possession Point at exactly 8 am on 26 January 1841.

The 'General Cannon' in the Pacific Basin Sea Bandits Gallery section is an important reminder of the Opium Wars. This huge piece of military equipment was once part of the impressive arsenal guarding the narrow entry point into Guangzhou called the Tiger's Mouth. It was captured during the opening battle of the First Opium War when the British attacked and overcame the forts guarding the city. After that, the 'General Cannon' was transported back to Britain and stored in the Tower of London. The Hong Kong Maritime Museum brought it back in 2010.

Fast facts
Hong Kong Maritime Museum
Central Pier No. 8, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 3713 2500
Fax: +852 2813 8033
Email: info@hkmaritimemuseum.org
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday 09:30-17:30
               Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays 10:00-19:00
Ticket Information: HK$30 for adults, HK$15 for seniors/students, children and disabled