The Digital Index of Min-nan Splendor: Handicrafts and Global Trade in the Wanli Zhangzhou Chronicles
Did you know a Chinese county was doing global business 450 years ago? I opened the Zhangzhou Prefecture Chronicle of 1573 AD (1st year of Wanli), and found something that stopped me. This 32-volume local gazetteer reads like a WTO trade report. It meticulously records production capacity and export data for raw silk, ceramics, and sugar. It even breaks down the tax revenue. And all of it centers on one place: Zhangzhou. ...