In Southern Fujian, the earth has not always been a silent foundation.

Zhangzhou — an ancient city famed for the prosperity of Moon Harbor — was repeatedly shaken by tremors deep within the crust. In 1445, the earliest documented earthquake struck the prefectural city. In 1591, city walls collapsed and the earth split open. In 1604, a magnitude 8.0 quake off the coast of Quanzhou rocked the entire region.

I opened the Wanli Zhangzhou Prefecture Chronicle and the Zhangzhou Seismological Chronicle. In the volume on “Portents and Disasters,” I saw how our ancestors captured the “turning of the Earth Dragon” with cold, precise numbers.

I. Introduction: The Shifting Frontier and Seismic Waves in the Chronicles

Zhangzhou sits on the southeastern coastal seismic belt. During the Wanli era, chroniclers dedicated a volume to portents and disasters, attempting to record with dates and numbers the tremors that could upend urban order.

These are not just geological records. They are micro-samples of how an ancient society maintained resilience under extreme pressure.

II. Chronological Mapping: High-Frequency Seismic Activity in the Late Ming

A digital review of the ‘Zhangzhou Seismological Chronicle’ reveals a clear picture: the mid-to-late Ming was a period of intense crustal activity.

2.1 The “Great Earthquake” of 1445 and Early Perception

In the 10th year of Zhengtong (1445), the earliest well-documented earthquake struck Zhangzhou. Tremors were felt in several surrounding counties, and houses collapsed within the city.

The Lijia system recorded nearly 100 damaged structures in post-disaster inspections. This early digital accounting, though primitive, shows the prototype of state-led disaster statistics.

2.2 The Tremor of 1591: Reconfiguring the Urban Landscape

In the 3rd month of the 19th year of Wanli (1591), Zhangzhou experienced one of the most severe earthquakes of the Ming Dynasty.

The chronicle records: “The earth cracked for several zhang, and black water surged out.” Multiple sections of the city wall — with a total circumference of 2,150 zhang — collapsed, particularly the towers at the East and South Gates.

To repair the damage, the local gentry launched a massive fund-raising campaign in the 20th year of Wanli (1592), with over 40 individuals registered as donors. From disaster to construction — this was the financial power of Zhangzhou during the Silver Age.

III. Portents and Order: The Impact of the 1604 Quanzhou Earthquake

In the 32nd year of Wanli (1604), a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Quanzhou. Though the epicenter was offshore, its impact on Zhangzhou left a deep mark in the local chronicles.

3.1 Disaster Performance of Commercial Ports

Moon Harbor was at its global trade peak. On the 9th day of the 11th month of Wanli 32 (1604), seismic waves threatened Spanish and Southeast Asian merchant ships docked at the piers.

The Zhangzhou Foreign Economic and Trade Chronicle estimates that wind-shelter facilities acted as a crucial buffer. Despite the intensity, commercial tax revenue in the 33rd year of Wanli (1605) remained above 20,000 liang of silver annually. A mature commercial network possesses remarkable self-repair capabilities.

3.2 Micro-Digitalization of Official Remissions

Facing the massive tremor, the Ming court implemented precise tax exemptions. In the audit books of the 34th year of Wanli (1606), the affected counties of Longxi and Zhangpu were granted exemptions totaling over 3,000 liang of silver.

This remission, based on the number of damaged fields, shows that the Ming bureaucracy had developed a standardized process from field investigation to central approval.

IV. Evolution of Resilience: Continuation through the Qing and Republic Eras

During the Qing Dynasty, earthquake records in the Guangxu Zhangzhou Prefecture Chronicle became more systematic, with richer data on social mobilization.

4.1 The Serial Quakes of the 9th Year of Qianlong

In the 9th year of Qianlong (1744), a series of aftershocks lasted for months. Between the 5th and 8th months, 15 distinct tremors were felt in the city.

The grassroots Baojia organizations were put to the test. In the 10th year of Qianlong (1745), the government allocated 500 liang of treasury silver to repair the damaged Confucian Temple and Academic Palace. Prioritizing cultural infrastructure reveals the political hierarchy of mid-Qing local governance.

4.2 The 1918 Earthquake and Modern Transformation

In the 7th year of the Republic (1918), a destructive earthquake struck Zhangzhou again. The intensity reached VII or higher — the first time a scientific intensity scale appeared in the chronicles.

The “Charity Medical Bureau” and “Relief Institute” activated emergency plans within 48 hours. Archives record 12 private chambers of commerce participating in cross-border relief logistics. Zhangzhou’s disaster response had shifted from bureaucratic remission to modern social collaboration.

V. Conclusion: Local Chronicles as Living Archives for Disaster Mitigation

From the primitive records of 1445 to the dawn of modern monitoring in 1918, Zhangzhou’s five-century seismic history is an epic of civilization versus crustal shifts.

Through the austere prose of the Wanli Chronicle and the lean data of the Seismological Chronicle, we see not just tragedy — but the social healing power of the Lijia system.

These records are not relics of the past. They are essential data anchors for predicting future natural risks in the context of digital humanities.

Geographic Links: Zhangzhou Prefecture City, Longxi County, Moon Harbor (Yuegang), Haicheng County, Zhangpu County, Nanjing County, Zhao’an County, Chaotian Gate, Tongjin Gate, Jiulong River Estuary.