The Craftsmanship of Zaiton: Ancient Industry, Technology, and the Global Echo of Quanzhou Production
Did you know that when Europeans “discovered” watertight bulkheads, Quanzhou shipbuilders had already been using them for six centuries? 12th century: Quanzhou craftsmen divided ship hulls into 13 watertight compartments. One compartment floods? The ship stays afloat. 18th century: European mariners finally figured it out. Six hundred years. I found this in The Science and Technology Records of Quanzhou. The deeper I dug, the more I realized Quanzhou wasn’t just a port where “ten thousand nations traded in the sound of rising tides.” It was the ancient world’s “Made in China” headquarters. ...