Maritime Frontiers, Territorial Expansion and Haifang 79
(in Fujian) and Chaozhou (in Guangdong) prefectures. The southeastern
segment of the island was under the control of the patrol unit; its
northwestern segment fell under the charge of the Zhelin marine palisade
in Guangdong.^78 As an island detached from the mainland, Nan’ao’s
isolated position caused the authorities concern because the defense
force could not move in by land should a military emergency arise.
In earlier times, before coastal defenses were on the agenda, this
island did not attract much attention from the authorities. Speaking
in retrospect, one late-Ming author describes Nan’ao before the Ming
Dynasty as “a land beyond reach”,^79 although it was inhabited by Chinese.
In 1393, Duke Tang He reported that Nan’ao was a Wo sanctuary and,
on these grounds, proposed shifting the population inland.^80 Given
its convenient location, Nan’ao continued to be a haven for pirates. In
1576, following a proposal by the maritime defense sub-prefect Luo
Gongchen, a lieutenant-colonel was as signed to Nan’ao. Three walled
defense installations were also built.^81 This move signiβied that this
island had been ofβicially included in the imperial domain (bantu),
playing a strategic role described as the gate (menhu) to Zhang and
Chao prefectures. Four harbors were situated around the island,
namely: Shen, Yun, Long and Qing, with two each under the separate
jurisdictions of Fujian and Guangdong respectively.^82 A deputy-brigade-
general of Zhang-Chao was assigned to cover the defense of Nan’ao, with
13 war junks and more than 600 soldiers under his command. Zhelin
in Guangdong and Xuanzhong in Fujian were also placed under his
command.^83 The high-ranking authorities considered that both Nan’ao
and Zhelin occupied a frontline position in the coastal defenses and
that the loss of these places would presage the destruction of Chaozhou
prefecture.^84
Clearly, the late Ming government was determined to develop
Nan’ao into a bastion against piracy. Other measures were also taken
to integrate the island into the imperial domain. The most important of
these was the development of some 50,000 mu of farmlands that was
allotted to military and civilian colonists. An additional gesture was to
- Ibid., 26: 130a.
- GDHFHL, 1: 50b.
- YMXSJL, 3: 27a.
- TXJGLBS, 26: 132b.
- GDHFHL, 1: 50b.
- YMXSJL, 3: 30b.
- GDHFHL, 2: 1lb, citing Chouhai tubian 籌海圖編 [Sea strategy illustrated: A work
on coastal defense],comp. Hu Zongxian (1510–65), Zheng Ruozeng (1503–70),
et al. 胡宗憲、鄭若曾 等撰 (1624 ed.; 1st printing: 1562).