Abstract:

The large-scale maritime trade between China and East Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia and East Africa began in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, and the main trade commodity was ceramics. The "secret porcelain" produced in the north-central region of Zhejiang Province was the main commodity of maritime trade between China and other countries in this period. According to the observations of the unearthed Chinese ceramics from various countries, the "secret porcelain" produced by the Yue kiln spread throughout North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Egypt and other coastal countries. The export lasted from Tang to Song Dynasty for more than 300 years. The main export port of the "secret porcelain" is ancient Mingzhou (now Ningbo) Port. The cross-border trade routes of "secret porcelain" consisted of three routes based on distances: i) northeast route, which is to the East Asia; ii) southeast route, which is to the Southeast Asia; and (iii) southwest route, which is to the South Asia, West Asia, and East Africa. There were four main reasons why China opened up maritime trade channels in Tang Dynasty: first, the Silk Road between China and West Asia was cut off; second, the "secret porcelain" traded is of high quality, in large quantity and fragile, so it was not suitable for land transportation; Third, people in Tang Dynasty have mastered shipbuilding and ocean-going navigation technology; fourth, the Tang Dynasty offered incentives to support overseas trade. The large-scale export of "secret porcelain" could improve the quality of people's life in importing countries, and at the same time, spread Chinese culture all over the world.

Key words: Yue Porcelain, international trade, Maritime Silk Road, Tang Dynasty

摘要：

我国与东亚、东南亚、南亚、西亚，以及非洲东部地区的大规模海上贸易从唐代中后期开始，主要贸易商品是陶瓷。产于浙江中北部地区的越窑“秘色瓷”是这个时期中国海上贸易的主体，从各国出土中国陶瓷来看，越窑生产的“秘色瓷”遍及朝鲜、日本、菲律宾、越南、印度、伊朗、坦桑尼亚、埃及等沿海国家，出口时间自唐至宋持续300余年。贸易“秘色瓷”以碗、罐、壶等日常用具为主，出口港口在古明州（今宁波）港。“秘色瓷”外贸航线由近到远先后分成三条：东北航线，贸易方向为东亚；东南航线，贸易方向为东南亚；西南航线，贸易方向是南亚、西亚和非洲东部地区。唐代中国开辟海上贸易通道的主要原因有四点：其一，陆上中国通往西亚的“丝绸之路”被切断；其二，贸易“秘色瓷”具有质重、量大、易破碎的特点，不宜陆上运输；其三，唐人已掌握海船制造和远洋航海技术；其四，唐朝有支持海外贸易的优惠政策。中国大规模出口“秘色瓷”，可提升进口国家人们的生活品质，同时，能把中国文化传播到世界各地。

关键词: 越瓷, 海上丝绸之路, 贸易, 航线, 唐代