Amid cheers from well-wishers, the 30-ton vessel set sail from Keelung Harbor in northern Taiwan June 26, on a historic 11-month transpacific voyage. According to the ship's captain, Liu Ning-sheng, the 16-meter junk will stop at ports in Japan, Canada and the United States before returning to Taiwan next April. "If we succeed, it will be the first time a ship of this kind has made a roundtrip Pacific Ocean crossing," he said.
The 61-year-old Liu explained that sailing a junk--which derives its English name from Javanese jong, meaning "ship" or "large vessel"--through the northern stretches of the Pacific Ocean was not an easy task, but the challenge was worth it as a way of reintroducing ancient Chinese marine culture to the international community. "The ship is made using traditional Fujian methods and natural materials," he said. "It represents the wisdom of our ancestors."
For the captain of the Princess Taiping, making such a voyage is the culmination of a life-long dream. Since becoming a sailing enthusiast at the relatively late age of 43, he has been interested in ancient ships and longed to sail one in real life. But transforming such an ambitious marine dream into reality tuned out to be more difficult than Liu could ever have imagined.
"Building such a vessel is a great journey in itself," said Li Jing-hua, one of the crew. "It is extremely difficult to know about ship-building techniques dating back to the Ming dynasty because information was limited to only a few male heirs in a family."
Li explained that shipbuilding was an oral tradition and as the artisans passed away, so did their secrets. "Finally, we had a stroke of luck and unearthed a manuscript about Fujian-style warship construction in Taipei's National Central Library," he said, "The book contained ship-building techniques and some drawings of junks," Li added, stating that it also took the assistance of several descendants of Ming dynasty era junk builders from Fujian Province to fully unlock the secrets of the diagrams. "They were able to help us understand how to go about constructing the ship using techniques from more than 600 years ago."
Taking 12 months to construct, the junk--which does not use modern materials such as bolts, nuts, screws, polyester and plastic resins--underwent validation to assess its authenticity at the hands of maritime historians officially recognized by the National Maritime Museum in the U.K. and the Hong Kong Maritime Museum. Once the stamp of authenticity was given, the junk set sail under the auspicious clouds of an early season typhoon for its maiden voyage from Xiamen in Fujian Province to Hong Kong March 26.
After completing the journey without mishap, the ship sailed into Keelung June 19 and was greeted by spectators amazed at not only seeing a piece of living history, but also reminded that at one time, the Chinese empire was considered Asia's preeminent naval power. "Many people are unaware that our ancestors were excellent sailors and enjoyed great marine adventures," Liu said.
The period Liu is referring to took place under the Song (960-1279) and Ming dynasties--considered by historians as the peak of Chinese maritime glory in Southeast Asia. The mercantile strength of the empire was built on its fleet of junks and gave rise to some of the empire's great navigators and adventurers.
A legendary mariner during this time was Admiral Zheng He (1371-1433), who led the emperor's overseas naval expeditions on seven occasions. Imperial records document Zheng's travels through Southeast Asia, as well as visits to the Middle East and even the eastern shore of Africa. It is speculated that Zheng may have reached the Americas, as British scholar Gavin Menzies argued in his controversial book, "1421: The Year China Discovered the World."
Citing Zheng as one of his nautical inspirations, Liu pointed out that today it is impossible to replicate the admiral's ships or to follow his route, due to a lack of historical records. "I want to make the public aware that our ancestors had the courage to face the unpredictable ocean, and also the talent for building excellent boats." For Liu, the saddest part of imperial China's collapse as a maritime power was the failure to pass on the empire's seafaring legacy. "You could once see thousands of sails in any [mainland] Chinese harbor," he said. "But this scene no longer exists, where have they gone?"
But the captain of the Princess Taiping is not the only one who asks such questions and dreams of reviving Chinese maritime greatness. The Princess Taiping's international crew--made up of sailors from Taiwan, the United States, Hong Kong and mainland China--is a group of 10 like-minded souls imbued with the same salty passion that drove Liu to be the first Taiwanese to circumnavigate the globe in a sailboat. The epic journey took him 30 months and was completed in 2001 after he sailed into southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung Harbor.
"When I knew that Liu wanted to recruit some sailors, I volunteered to join," said 33-year-old Fung Ying-kai from Hong Kong. Fung, who swapped a well-paid corporate telecommunications job for adventure on the high seas, described the historical journey as a "dream come true." Similarly, one of the two female members of the 11-strong crew, Chia Li-wen, 30, gave up her job as an engineer at the Hsinchu Science Park to embark on what she called a "voyage of a lifetime."
Tang Yu-quan, 48, also could not resist the call of adventure. "My family once made their living as fishermen, but were forced to trade this existence for life in a factory," the veteran sailor from Fujian Province said. "It felt so good to be back on the ocean and live the life of a sailor."
People might be quick to dismiss the crew of the Princess Taiping as dreamers for throwing in good jobs for what may seem a flight of fancy, but they would have no idea that the life they have chosen is fraught with difficulties and challenges. "It is a tough existence," Liu noted. "No showers, not much space, uncomfortable beds and the food is nothing to write home about."
As well as uncomfortable living conditions, the crew must also contend with the power of the Pacific Ocean that can brew up massive storms with waves over 24 meters in height. "Bad weather at sea is a normal occurrence," Li shrugged. "Anyway, outdoor activities are supposed to involve risk. The key is to realize that we should cooperate with weather extremes instead of fighting them." The captain echoed the sentiments of the sailor and emphasized the importance of being prepared: "If you know enough about Mother Nature, you will understand how to cope when she unleashes her fury."
Liu takes great pride in the diversity of skills and talents each crewmember brings to the table. For such a group, communication plays an important role while sailing the replica junk. However, cultural differences may undermine smooth relationships, and therefore topics such as politics and religion are banned on the ship. "We should listen to what others say and put ourselves in their shoes, instead of asserting our own point of view," Liu said, believing that people could learn to be more open-minded if they had the opportunity to sail on the open seas.
Indeed, one of the messages that Liu wishes to pass along during this voyage is the need to break down the barriers between cultures. "Although the design was originally that of a warship, we named the vessel "Taiping," which means "peace" in Mandarin, to emphasize the importance of establishing peaceful relations with people who differ from us," the captain explained.
Moreover, Liu hopes that this journey will help raise the profile of sailing in society, especially with the younger generations. "Taiwan is an island, but our citizens are estranged from the sea," he pointed out, lamenting that too few Taiwanese know about yachting and recreational water sports when compared to other nationalities.
"The media and over-protective parents have created an unreasonable fear of the ocean, and the next generation is losing the chance to experience its raw beauty and learning how to deal with challenges through sailing," he said. "We must not let this force us to abandon our cultural heritage."
Have sail, will travel
Like the ancient mariner of yore, Liu Ning-sheng's tale of how he was drawn to the sea like a moth to a flame is one with more ups and downs than the Pacific Ocean during a violent storm.
At the age of 43, Liu's life was left in a shambles after his wife and daughter walked out on him. Unable to focus on the demands of his import-export business, Liu decided--like so many before--to start a new life Down Under. He traveled to Australia for six months and during his stay in the land of plenty, chose to study yachting. Enamored by the call of the sea, he spent his life savings on purchasing a sailing vessel and set off to live the dream.
But it was while visiting San Diego in the United States that Liu first became interested in the notion of transpacific crossings. He teamed up with an experienced German helmsman and the two sailors sailed across the Pacific Ocean to northern Taiwan's Keelung Harbor in 1992.
Inspired by the experience, Liu set his sights higher. On Christmas Eve 1998, he set off from Kaohsiung Harbor in southern Taiwan to circumnavigate the globe. Crossing the China Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean, the ship--captained by Liu with the help of three other sailors--returned home in 2001. The voyage of 26,982 kilometers was a milestone for Liu and made him the first Taiwanese to sail around the globe in a sailboat.
The skipper's bulging logbook of nautical achievement might come as a surprise to some, but to his parents, Liu's accomplishments are proof that the apple never falls far from the tree. After all, his father Max is a renowned artist, adventurer and anthropologist who has trekked through the wilds of Southeastern Asia, Kenya and Papua New Guinea.
--By Amber Wu
Write to Amber Wu at amber0207@mail.gio.gov.tw