Trade, the Sea Prohibition and the “Folangji” 107
[the early years of the dynasty]”.^29 Tribute missions still came regularly
and passed, for the most part, without dramatic incident. As Roland
Higgins explains, despite “ofβicial criticisms and restrictions repeatedly
placed on tribute missions, trade gradually came to overshadow the other
political, ritualistic, obeisance-paying aspects of the tribute formula for
managing barbarians”.^30
The Portuguese ships were βired on by a Chinese βleet cruising off
the island to prevent piracy, but Andrade did not return βire, giving
every demonstration of peace and friendliness. He sent a message to the
Chinese commander, “explaining who he was and that he was bringing an
embassy of King Manuel of Portugal his Lord to the King of China”. The
Chinese captain welcomed Andrade, saying that “through the Chinese
who went to Malacca he also had news of the good faith and chivalry of
the Portuguese”, and advised him to address himself to the Commander
of the Coastguard (beiwo duzhihui) of Nantou, who was empowered to
examine all the ships that came to Guangzhou.^31
After many messages and delays, Andrade eventually arrived in
Guangzhou where he ordered a salute βired by the cannon on his ships
as a gesture of respect. Very soon a message came from the Provincial
Administration Commissioner (buzhengshi), the highest authority then
in Guangzhou, expressing astonishment at such an act of imprudence.
Andrade apologized that “he had erred through ignorance, and intended
only respect”.^32 Although the Chinese ofβicial accepted this explanation,
he said that it never occurred to the Chinese that in some part of the earth
a demonstration of war implements could be an expression of respect or
courteous recognition.^33 Pending further Chinese instructions, Andrade
ordered that no Portuguese should go ashore and no Chinese visitors
should be allowed on board his ships.
Soon afterwards, the Governor-General of Liang-Guang (Guangdong
and Guangxi), Chen Jin, returned to Guangzhou. Andrade sent ashore the
factor of the βleet to explain their mission. Governor-general Chen and
other high-ranking ofβicials “replied with many words of satisfaction” and
promised that they would immediately write to their emperor asking for
- Roland Louis Higgins, “Piracy and Coastal Defence in the Ming Period,
Government Responses to Coastal Disturbances, 1523‒1549”, PhD diss., The
University of Minnesota, 1981,p.18. - Ibid., p. 19.
- Cortesão, “Introduction”, p. xxxi; also Chang T’ien-tse, Sino-Portuguese Trade,
p. 41. The Commander’s chief function was to guard against the depredation of
the Japanese pirates. - Ferguson, “Letters”, p. 426.
- Chang T’ien-tse, Sino-Portuguese Trade, p. 64.