Ancient Echoes of the Min Sea: A Mapping of Southern Fujian Folklore in the Ming Dynasty Bamin Tongzhi
Background: The Pioneering Chronicle from a Ming Perspective The Bamin Tongzhi (General Gazetteer of the Eight Min Prefectures) was completed in 1489 by the Putian scholar Huang Zhongzhao. It stands as the earliest extant comprehensive provincial chronicle in the history of Fujian. Beyond its meticulous recording of administrative structures and geography, the sections on ‘Customs’ and ‘Seasonal Festivals’ preserve vivid grassroots details of social life in the 15th century. Within the Ming administrative framework of ‘Eight Prefectures and One Department,’ the prefectures of Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, and Xinghua formed the core of Southern Fujian (Minnan) culture. Huang’s compilation logic, which aimed to ‘honor the models of ancient sages,’ reveals a society where Neo-Confucianism intersected with a vibrant maritime civilization. ...