O HORIZONTE DA PIROGA MONÓXILA NA CHINA
This article analyzes the historiographical and archaeological evolution of Chinese nautical technology, focusing on the phenomenon of the dugout canoe. For centuries, the Western view, influenced by travelers' accounts since Marco Polo, emphasized the idiosyncratic nature of Chinese vessels, partic...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
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| Format: | Articles |
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Instituto Cultural de Macau
April 2003
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| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40006/2713 |
| Summary: | This article analyzes the historiographical and archaeological evolution of Chinese nautical technology, focusing on the phenomenon of the dugout canoe. For centuries, the Western view, influenced by travelers' accounts since Marco Polo, emphasized the idiosyncratic nature of Chinese vessels, particularly the junk, assuming the absence of logboats — a fundamental element present in other regions of the globe. However, the author demonstrates how Chinese archaeology from the second half of the 20th century deconstructed this thesis of "absence," revealing the millennia-old presence of these vessels in Chinese territory.
Using as a central reference Joseph Needham's monumental work, *Science and Civilisation in China* (1971), the study examines the epistemological foundations and methodological challenges faced in compiling ancient sources and field data. The author discusses the impact of archaeological discoveries from the 1950s and 1960s and the validity of cross-cultural parallels, analyzing the mental barriers that historically limited the understanding of nautical technology in Asia. It concludes that the dugout canoe constitutes an essential technological horizon that allows situating the origins of Chinese nautical navigation within a broader regional context, integrating it into the history of Southeast Asia since the end of prehistory. The research underscores the need to reassess Chinese maritime heritage through a lens that harmonizes recent archaeological data with a critical revision of classical historiography. |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |