Here’s the story. During the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, the magistrate of Fu’an County in Fujian ate only one bean-sized piece of sweet potato at every meal. The locals gave him a nickname, “Shu Gong” (the Sweet Potato Elder). When I first opened Volume 8 of the “Wanli Funing Zhou Zhi” and saw the name “Chen Si” in the “Officials” section, I expected a routine Ming-era biography of a model bureaucrat. ...
Introduction Luoyuan County, historically known as Luochuan, occupies a strategic position along the coast of Eastern Fujian (Mindong). In the digital archives of chinaroots.org, Luoyuan’s history is not merely a record of military defense against external threats, but also a history of industrial evolution driven by the profound interaction between people and the sea. Drawing upon primary sources such as the Qianlong Gazetteer of Fuzhou Prefecture, the Wanli Gazetteer of Funing Prefecture, and the Kangxi Gazetteer of Luoyuan County, this article explores the structural shifts in Luoyuan’s defense—from the Song-Yuan Patrol Office (Xunjian Si) system to the Ming-Qing Garrison (Yingxun) system. Furthermore, it examines how the local specialty, the Red-paste Crab (Scylla serrata), evolved from a local staple into a cultural symbol of the regional economy. ...
Here’s the story. In 1567, the first year of Longqing, Fujian Surveillance Commissioner Tu Zemin petitioned Emperor Muzong, “Please open the maritime trade office, transforming private traders into licensed merchants.” In one sentence, he loosened the Ming court’s maritime ban on the southeast coast. But the opening wasn’t at Quanzhou. It was at Yuegang in Zhangzhou. Quanzhou merchants could go overseas. But the port of departure was Yuegang. That made me really curious. ...
Here’s the story. On the Gengchen day of the 10th month of the 34th year of Jiajing, November 12, 1555, a general who had just delivered the greatest anti-Wokou victory of the southeast coast was executed at Beijing’s Western Market. When I first opened Volume 55 of the “Wanli Fuzhou Prefecture Gazetteer” and saw the name “Zhang Jing” in the “Biographies, Meritorious Achievements” section, I expected a routine loyal-official narrative. ...
Background: Zhu Xi’s First Official Post In 1153 AD (the 23rd year of the Shaoxing era), a 24-year-old Zhu Xi arrived in Tongan to serve as the Sub-prefectural Registrar (Zhubu), marking the beginning of his illustrious career. While Tongan had been established as a county earlier, its educational infrastructure was still in its infancy. During his five-year tenure, Zhu Xi went beyond his administrative duties in taxation and registration, taking direct charge of local education (Ling Xue Shi), initiating the era of “Ziyang’s Transformation” in Tongan. ...
The medical history of Longhai is a thousand-year saga of safeguarding life. As early as 669 AD during the Tang Dynasty, Li Rugang, a medical officer under General Chen Zheng, introduced Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to this land, then considered a remote frontier. During the Northern Song Dynasty, a legendary physician emerged from Longhai—Wu Ben (also known as Baosheng Dadi). Born into a poor fishing family in Baijiao, he dedicated his life to medicine, treating patients regardless of their wealth. After his tragic death while gathering herbs on Wunpu Mountain, he was deified as the “Divine Physician” and “Saint of Medical Spirits,” with his influence spreading to Taiwan and Southeast Asia. ...