A sea of possibility

Building of prosperity

In 1087, the Maritime Trade Office was set up by the Song Dynasty government in Quanzhou. Mixing present-day customs, administration of foreign trade licenses, exchange for imported goods, and a reception agency for foreign diplomats, the office was extraordinarily busy.

"Its establishment marked the official designation of Quanzhou as a national-level seaport for overseas trade," says Wang Bo, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "On its best days, the office alone contributed about 7 percent of the country's total annual tax revenue during the Southern Song period, which is quite remarkable."

Nevertheless, none of it remains, and only several of today's street names roughly indicate its location. To further unveil the city's historical significance, and also to prepare for the bidding for the World Heritage status, Wang led a group of archaeologists to search for its ruins in 2019.

In spite of the mission's difficulty, Wang was surprised to find that spatial patterns of ancient Quanzhou rigidly followed feng shui theory and traditional Chinese urban design. In-depth and comprehensive research of these ideas, which reflect the relationship between the city's denizens and their environment, helped him to review how the city's layout was originally planned and, in 2020, finally dig out architectural ruins of a high-level ancient office building. Bricks were later unearthed with inscriptions to further prove it was the Maritime Trade Office.

"Thanks to this office, Quanzhou maintained a stable relationship with the overseas market," Wang says. "And as a reflection of Chinese philosophy, which has lasted for millennia, it is also a reminder for today's people to better protect our cultural heritage."

The similar working process also enabled his team to find and excavate the site of the Southern Clan Office in 2019, another agency crucial for maritime trade during the Song Dynasty.

The office was set up in 1102 in present-day Henan province to take care of royal kinsmen. After the fall of Henan to the Jurchen, the office, along with some members of the royal family, relocated to South China until it was finally relocated to Quanzhou in 1130.

Zhou Zhenping, deputy mayor of Quanzhou who is in charge of culture-related work, believes that it marked a pivotal moment in the history of Quanzhou. "The Song royal clan actively participated in social and business affairs in Quanzhou," Zhou explains. "They helped the high-end markets of the city blossom, as consumers of spices and jewels, thus, greatly stimulated imports.

"Meanwhile, some became government officials, including head of the Maritime Trade Office, making great contributions to the development of the port and other infrastructure," she says.