Trade And Emigration On The Ancient Road Of Porcelain

Dehua overseas Chinese are relatively small in number and scale in the entire overseas Chinese hometown in southern Fujian.On the one hand,it is related to the inconvenience of transportation in the inland mountainous area of Quanzhou,but another important reason that cannot be ignored is that Dehua,as one of the main origins of famous export porcelain in Chinese history,the prosperity and wealth of the porcelain industry depend on making a living.It has also become one of the important reasons for restricting Dehua people from going abroad.This article links the export trade of Dehua porcelain products with the transnational flow of population and the the ancient road of porcelain as its communication line,aiming to explore the internal relationship between them.In addition to the introduction and conclusion,this paper consists of four main chapters.The second chapter specifically explores the rise and fall of the porcelain industry in Dehua from the Song,Yuan,Ming and Qing Dynasties to the Republic of China,as well as the ancient road of porcelain as the export channel of porcelain,which lays the foundation for the subsequent discussion.The third chapter starts with the history of genealogy and emigration to explore the overseas migration of Dehua people,and discusses the multi-dimensional relationship between overseas migration and the development of the porcelain industry by taking the Yan clan people in Sibin Village,the main source of the ancient road of porcelain as an example.The fourth chapter examines how belief in gods,as a bond between gods,recognizes the connection between people at home and abroad in the interaction between people and gods.The fifth chapter analyzes the role of blood ties in absorbing overseas Chinese,building overseas Chinese houses and village clan affairs through the case of the Zhuang clan in Jinshan Village,an important porcelain bamboo cage production base on the ancient road of porcelain.Research shows that there is actually a multi-dimensional relationship between the development of the porcelain industry and overseas emigration.It is neither a simple restriction nor a simple business-driven emigration,but a diversity.That is: on the one hand,the development of the Dehua porcelain industry and the characteristics of exporting porcelain have indeed led some Dehua people to emigrate overseas for the purpose of commerce;on the other hand,the development of the porcelain industry does curb emigration behavior.This diverse role is reflected in the history of both Dehua overseas Chinese who went abroad for business and villagers who remained in their hometown for porcelain production.Comparatively speaking,the number of the latter is far more than the former.In this sense,the development of the Dehua porcelain industry does have a certain restrictive impact on overseas emigration.This restrictive effect is further manifested by the decline of the Dehua porcelain industry during the Republic of China,which led to a large number of Dehua people going abroad.Their large number of overseas trips has resulted in the formation of a specific Dehua community overseas,and through the ties of spirituality and blood,they have achieved a certain connection with their hometown while grasping the social integration of the local Dehua people.