Masts Like a Forest: Chinese Shipbuilding from the Zheng War to the Opium War (c. 1644-1839)

Abstract

Chinese sailing ships, often called “junks,” were a flexibly technology that economized on materials, a key to both the military and commercial flourishing of Qing China (c. 1644-1912) until the Opium War (1839-42). During periods of conflict, shipwrights incorporated new designs to maximize speed, maneuverability, and firepower. During periods of peace, they responded to regulatory constraints and limitations in the timber supply. The principal timber, China fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata), remained widely available thanks to flourishing plantations. However, shipbuilding put serious pressure on slower-growing tree species, and the demand for timber furthered the colonization of the southwest and Taiwan. The main government response to regional scarcity and rising timber prices was to economize, while many private shipbuilders shifted their operations to Southeast Asia. Catastrophic defeat by the British steamship Nemisis signaled the end of junks’ military dominance, although they remained commercially important for another century.

Keywords

• junks
• shipbuilding
• China