By early May 2008, a tropical storm generated from the Indian Ocean, from west to east, nearly 200 kilometers per hour swept through Myanmar, causing major natural disasters. Later Since the junta refused international aid, and its capacity is limited, resulting in poor relief, the international community can not help but lead to a discussion on human rights. In early August 2009, the Pacific tropical storm Typhoon Morakot swept from southeast to northwest Taiwan Province of China, causing casualties and property losses for many years rare. Flesh and blood on both sides, the mainland lend a helping hand, in the external rescue and Taiwan compatriots to work together, and strive to early completion of the reconstruction.
In recent years, China's southeast coast during the invasion of typhoons, often with live coverage of the screen. Front-line correspondents were wearing a raincoat, holding a microphone, sometimes by ropes fixed body, is described in the storm to experience. Such reports allow mainland Chinese audience to understand the power of the typhoon, the young reporter had withstood exercise. TV screen, many trees were uprooted, thrown in the streets, a rare roots seems to still twitching. In addition, some trees have been broken down the middle, as if the body fractures, looking dazzling white fracture, fracture can imagine when submerged wind "click" sound. After the storm, a messy, not only property damage, and casualties. Seems to want to conquer nature, can only take the road curves, do not head-on.
In the era of agricultural civilization, a tropical storm is southeast coast of China, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean coast of the overall development of the important reasons for slow. Basic human life is nothing more than the basic necessities, and the area in addition to a dress, because in warm climates have an advantage, the other three are stable level of protection is poor. People worked hard for years or even generations, can not escape a storm hit, later to return to the Stone Age. Ancient Greek mythology Sisyphus pushing a stone's story, every effort will be pushed to the top of the mountain rock, and rolled down the natural ground, pushed back, again and again, marking time. The story used to describe the cyclone-affected larger areas very appropriate, resulting in the accumulation of a lot of difficult issues, which also affect the development of maritime technology.
Continents and oceans due to pressure changes caused by temperature differences in the summer and winter can produce oriented, punctual air, called the monsoon, the ancient Chinese also called the trade winds. Tropical storm typhoon violent summer monsoon in special form, resulting in Burma and China Taiwan catastrophe is the summer monsoon. Winter monsoon blows from the mainland to the sea, there is no destructive typhoons large, but for the safety of navigation or influential. For the ancients monsoon is strong hates and loves, because the main driving force caused by the storm at the same time, it is the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean vessels dealings. East monsoon grasp the law, the formation of adaptation monsoon nautical technology took a long time, but the Mediterranean is not the case, it caused the mariner technology matures much later than in the West for many years. After BC, the people of the Western Indian Ocean maritime trade out of necessity, first master the monsoon law, then slowly spread eastward. But the situation is even worse in the Pacific Ocean in the West Bank, in order to ocean navigation, not the power of the day and night.
Chinese ancestors engaged in marine fishing history is very long, only near the coast. Traders rely on long-haul maritime manpower paddle can not be completed, rely on sail, for safety reasons, mainly forward along the coastline, in short, can not easily get rid of dependence on the land. China Bohai away from a tropical storm to dealings with the Korean peninsula, China is the earliest in the voyage across the ocean areas. But because they have the land, the ocean transportation advantage is not obvious. Bohai under the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, the sea becomes wider, more difficult across the sea, not much about the early records. Alchemist Xu Qin Terracotta by the orders of crossing looking Xianyao, missing, even though according to legend arrived in Japan, but also never to return. Three Kingdoms period generals Wu Wei Wen arrives in Taiwan, has been staying for nearly a year, have to go back there, and very rare, but without success, was killed in jail, did not continue. South China Sea late development, the lack of early Chinese people sea ocean deeds. Sui and Tang dynasties ago, China's maritime foreign exchanges rarely, some sporadic trade, business, nautical skill levels are relatively low. Because people in addition to fishing, can not find a more important reason for the use of the oceans. The vast land has inexhaustible resources, and distant sea in addition to the legendary fairy seems to be no otherness.
China was strong during the Tang Dynasty, the coastal areas have been developed, while the surrounding area, such as Japan have also been developed, resulting in an increase in maritime exchanges, China's shipbuilding industry began to transition from rivers to the ocean. River boat and ship due to changes in the environment, there are important differences in manufacturing technology. Also sailing accumulation of knowledge, training of maritime personnel, supporting the formation of industry, requires a lengthy process. Even Chinese people clever, more effort, it is impossible to seafaring rapid rise in the short term, so when sailing skills can only be started.
Master Jianzhen (688-763) is the iconic figure of the traditional friendship between China and Japan, living in the Tang Dynasty Kaiyuan Spirit, by the Tang Dynasty sent an invitation to go to Japan to promote Buddhism, six east, the ultimate success. In fact, six are imaginary, the first, third and fourth for other reasons, not the sea, plan is terminated. The second is from Yangzhou departure, not the Yangtze River estuary, in case of a bad storm the ship, repaired to the sea, and had met with storms, drift boat to Zhoushan Islands trapped, after being rescued people, Going failed. The fifth most thrilling and most touching. After the departure in case of strong north wind in the East China Sea, the ship was blown to the southwest, and the Japanese in the Northeast. Ten days later he landed in Sanya, Hainan Island Jianzhen removed, Guangxi, Guangzhou, Jiangxi, Anhui, which lasted two years, return to Yangzhou, preaching all the way, the way blind, followed by more than a person killed or injured, but the reputation earthquake . Jianzhen vowed "not to Japan, this is willing to fail." 754 in the winter, take the Japanese Tang Dynasty Jianzhen sixth fleet east, over Okinawa, the final remaining a ship arrived in Kyushu, Japan. Fellow Japanese students of different boat Abe Nakamaro (Chao Heng Chinese name, was in the Tang Dynasty official) was blown to the Vietnamese shore, far more than once on Jianzhen, two years later returned to Chang'an. He died because of misinformation, was also a friend of Li Bai poem mourning.
Jianzhen success, to catch the last train of history, because the second-year An Lushan Rebellion broke out, the Sino-Japanese exchanges temporarily interrupted, no chance, of course, so he has no chance to return. Jianzhen preaching in Japan for nine years, died in Nara Toshodai Temple. Abe Nakamaro not return to Japan due to the war and eventually died in Chang'an, lifetime learning, go down the drain. They are all experienced later story, but the difficulty of crossing the sea, can be seen, but also reflected the level of maritime East Asia. As early as a hundred years than Jianzhen Xuanzang, a lone pilgrimage to India, through the desert, the higher the mountain, is also gone through hardships, finally obtained Scriptures, return to Chang'an, but also left a precious historical "Buddhist mind. " Compared with Xuan Zang Jian Zhen, not to say a low input high return, but at least 100 percent success rate. As the saying goes "a thousand days at home, good, hard day out." Was a question of attitude, and Lu Yi traveling thousands of miles, can not support, because people have feet, but the storm HNA an inch, you must use technical means, because people are not fish.
Starting from the Song Dynasty, the rapid increase in maritime trade, Chinese maritime technology further improved. For the Song Yuan and Ming dynasties, China's navigation technology in the end what level of living, there is a serious contradiction between the various exposition, very confusing. The view of this period the Chinese general called maritime powers, the so-called maritime power, nothing more than two military and commercial, in the West as one of the two alternatives, we need to describe in China.
Southern Song operating for many years, the use of maritime trade, lucrative. Yuan soldiers south, Song retreat. 1276 is surrounded Lin Yuan army, the little emperor Zhao was surrender. 1278 Song Chen Zhang Shijie, Lu Xiufu with another little emperor Zhao Bing retreated to Guangdong Xinhui, final resistance. The following year, Yuan soldiers attack, Lu Xiufu see the hopeless situation, carrying Zhao Bing jumped into the sea and died, Zhang Shijie fleet encountered winds sank the Southern Song Dynasty perish. Wen Yuan soldiers because of cruel, followed by a lot of people jumped into the sea soldiers, a few days after the history contained, offshore floating corpse more than ten million. Song Defeat years, from Lin to the new club, the people or the land or sea, along the coast to escape, not conquered it and dived to die, but there is no description borrow a boat to flee by sea to Southeast Asia. Southern Song Dynasty naval combat even bad, but everyone seems to have sailed away to escape the lack of basic skills. People can not help wondering, do Song loyal Yimin, in the end is the Neo-Confucianism deep bone marrow, or do nothing in the face of the sea? Southeast Asia in the south, the compass but where is it? In front of the South China Sea, the Southern Song Dynasty the world's leading maritime technology where is it?
Kublai Khan sent troops twice crossed the sea expedition to Japan. 1274 yuan Korea joint military troops, amphibious landing from North Korea, and Japan operations. Mainly because supply can not keep up, plus the typhoon and lost back. 1281 Yuan army two routes, together Korea army, the Southern Song Dynasty army down, a total of a dozen people, four thousand ships warships, landing in Kyushu, more than a month of fierce fighting, the Japanese can not overcome the walls. Pacific typhoon was underway at this time, the storm for four consecutive days, the yuan army destroyed most of the ships, the results fiasco, only a few people fled. Yuan Jungong two days, all the role of the typhoon, the Japanese emperor considered gods bless, and therefore it is known as the "kamikaze", in World War II "kamikaze" in the name of the resulting. This is not strictly a two battles Battle, but typical landing operations, is extremely difficult, is the test of seamanship. Further Yuan has also expedition Java, also ended in failure. Yuan overseas expansion failed to extend, for many reasons, but at least show that the naval capacity is limited, and Marine far.
Mid-Ming Dynasty, the Japanese rebellion. Pirates mainly by the small number of Japanese ronin and a large number of residents of coastal China, smugglers ban, burning and looting, after the boat left early general profit on land built a stronghold when rampant. Poet and Qi Jiguang (1528-1588) led the army, to wipe success. Qi Jiguang destroy pirates rely Marine, in addition to military dominance, also taken for prevention and treatment, to prevent sticking, invading and other tactics, so pirates can not get resources, frustrations subside. Fighters captured at sea, or active pirates captured at sea stronghold, and even curse to attack the Japanese archipelago, the most direct way to attack the Ming army do not grasp. So once relax military pressure, but the pirates quickly revived.
The above three cases can reflect this period, the Chinese maritime technology application level in the military from the side. In fact, before the West seamanship spread eastward, China may not have played a real sense of the naval battle, the so-called Battle of Song Yuan and early Ming, can only be regarded offshore version of the water war, accustomed to the river boats as ships use case to storms at sea, they defeated. The Chinese navy ship but the Army, the main function is personnel carriers, cargo ships, not combat. For example Boat Song retreat, Yuan expedition Japan, Java, Ming Qi Jiguang used boats transporting troops. No naval, navy couplers certainly not enough bright, not to mention the aid navy, marine by exploiting the boundary. And naval battle hard to find contrary, China has undergone a lot of water wars in the inland rivers and lakes, especially in the Yangtze River Basin. If in order to identify "China has long kept fresh waters military power status" estimate is correct, but there is no special significance. Think globally, no other region in the inland waters of the total fetching water war, because there is no similar joint Yangtze River Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake geographical conditions.
Not just China, along the western coast of the Indian Ocean to the Pacific coast has been, over the same period are no large-scale naval battle. As a rule, there are at commercial interest, there must be war. But the vast waters of the region, trade routes open, the main enemy is the harsh natural conditions, the distribution of benefits has been completed on land, failed to form a long-term pattern of military contention sea power. Pirates also low, merchant with some basic defense can be, so there is no need for naval warfare, there is no demand for technology development warships, artillery technology in China which is the same reason stagnant development.
On the whole, Song Yuan and Ming dynasties, the Chinese military as a range of regional maritime powers generally not the South China Sea, but also intermittent. More importantly, because of the lack of competition for the entire region benefits of sea power demand, lack of real enemies at sea, resulting in the so-called maritime powers gold content is extremely low.
(Author: Ding Fuji Ark)
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