history
Xisha Islands, also known as Gem Island, is one of the four islands in the South China Sea of China, which consists of Yongle Islands and Xuande Islands. This coral island group, large and small, floats in the sea area of more than 500 thousand square kilometers, beautiful and pure. Xisha has been the territory of China since ancient times. In ancient times, it was called "a thousand miles of Changsha" and was the only way for the South China Sea route. As early as the Sui Dynasty, China sent envoys to Malaysia today through the South China Sea, and the I Ching of the Tang Dynasty also arrived in India. In ancient times, merchant ships loaded with ceramics, silk and spices passed through here, so it was also called "Maritime Silk Road".
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, there was a site in the Xisha Islands-Ganquan Island Tang and Song Site. However, due to the lack of isotope dating, foreigners refused to admit that this was only a "possible event", which led to the early history of Xisha Islands on English Wikipedia becoming Vietnamese history. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that relevant experts date it so that foreigners can fully understand China's sovereignty over the Xisha Islands since ancient times.
Southwest zhongsha islands has been the sacred territory of China since ancient times. Facts have proved that our people first discovered these islands and reefs and used them as bases for fishing, production and life for a long time. After generations of hard development and management, our government first exercised jurisdiction and sovereignty over these islands and reefs. Zhongsha islands in the southwest has always been under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Provincial People's Government. 1988 established Hainan Province, and then these islands and reefs and their sea areas were placed under the jurisdiction of Hainan Province.
(1) Our people first discovered and developed these islands and reefs.
According to ancient records, as early as the Thai-Han era, China already had large-scale ocean navigation, trade and fishery production activities, and the South China Sea became an important sea route at that time. Since then, our people have often sailed in the South China Sea and crossed the islands in the South China Sea. These islands were first discovered and named.
Geography of Hanshu written by Ban Gu in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 32-92) recorded that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent envoys to the West from the South China Sea. This book completely describes the sailing routes from Xuwen, Guangdong Province, through the South China Sea, through several countries, and as far away as Kangnafulun and Sri Lanka in southeast India today.
In 226 AD, Sun Quan of the Three Kingdoms sent Athena Chu and Kangtai to visit Southeast Asian countries, and the fleet sailed to Minnan (now Cambodia) and other countries via the South China Sea, and established friendly relations with these countries. The Biography of Fu Nan, written by Kang Tai after his return to China, accurately recorded the geographical situation of the islands in the South China Sea.
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, social and economic tensions and foreign exchanges increased, especially after the compass was applied to navigation in the early Song Dynasty, navigation and production in the South China Sea became more frequent. At that time, the route of the South China Sea and the location and name of the islands had been investigated and recorded in detail. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhou went to Lingnan Answer (written in1178): "... there are thousands of miles of Changsha and Shitang in the East", among which "Changsha" and "Shitang" refer to the South China Sea islands. Changsha is a coral island dominated by sand island, and Shitang is a coral reef dominated by atolls. On the basis of many investigations and inquiries, Zhao pointed out with reference to Zhufanzhi (1225) written by Lingnan: "In the fifth year of Zhenyuan (AD 789), Joan was the governor, which is why. Ji yang (now Sanya) is the end of the sea. There are States outside, Wuli, Sujilang and Zhancheng in the south, Zhenla in the west, Shicheng and Wan Li in Changsha in the east, separated by thousands of miles, and Tianshui is the same color. " This not only points out that Shicheng and Wan Li in Changsha are islands in the South China Sea, but also shows that as early as the Tang Dynasty, zhongsha islands in the southwest was placed under the jurisdiction of Zhou Zhen (changed to Jiyang Army in the Song Dynasty).
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, many pictures, quotations and local chronicles in China recorded the South China Sea Islands. In terms of maps, Zheng He's "seven voyages to the Western Seas" in the Ming Dynasty had been sailing for a long time, drawing Zheng He's nautical charts, which were later included in Wu Bei Zhi by Mao. Icons show the names and relative positions of Shixing Shitang, Wansheng Shitangyu, Shitang and other island groups. By the Qing Dynasty, the attached map "General Plan of the Four Seas" in Chen Lunjiong's "Records of the Seas" had clearly marked the place names and locations of the four major islands. At that time, dongsha islands was called Qishatou, Xisha Islands was called Zhou Qiyang, Nansha Islands was called Shitang, and zhongsha islands was called Changsha. Later, the Qing government compiled various maps on the basis of a large-scale national map survey. 17 16, the whole map of Qing dynasty at home and abroad, 1724, the sub-map of Qing dynasty, 1767, the unified map of the world in the first year of Qing dynasty, 1800, the general map of Qing county hall, 65433.
As far as ancient books are concerned, Zheng He's entourage on his seven voyages to the Western Seas wrote such works as Staring at the Blue Star, Ma Ci's A View of English and Elegant, and Gong Zhen's A Record of the Western Regions, among which the records about the South China Sea and the islands in the South China Sea left us valuable information. The navigation works at that time, such as Yu Lu in Haicha by Gu Yan 1527 and Yu Hai by Huang Zhong, described the navigation, island reef distribution and geographical features of the South China Sea in detail. All coastal defense projects at that time regarded the South China Sea Islands as the "gateway" and "natural barrier" of China's coastal defense. For example, in the book Outline of Coastal Defence in 1930s, Xisha Islands and other islands were listed as coastal defence areas of China.
As far as local chronicles are concerned, Ming and Qing dynasties are the heyday of local chronicles. Many local chronicles compiled by the government, such as Guangdong Tongzhi, Qiongzhou Prefecture Records, Wanzhou Records, etc. , which contains information of southwest zhongsha islands, is listed as an affiliated island of Hainan Island. Guangdong Tongzhi records that Zheng De set up a coastal defense camp in Wanzhou in the seventh year (A.D. 15 12). It can also be seen from Zheng De's Qiongtaizhi that Xisha and Nansha Islands were regarded as coastal defense areas of China at that time.
China people have a long history of developing southwest zhongsha islands. According to archaeological findings, there is a site of Tang and Song Dynasties in Ganquan Island of Xisha Islands, and a number of articles for production and daily use such as Tang and Song porcelain and iron pot fragments have been unearthed. This irrefutably proves that our people have been living and producing in the Xisha Islands since at least the Tang and Song Dynasties, and have long been the masters of the southwest zhongsha islands. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, our people had preserved a large number of cultural relics on various islands. Including Yongxing Island, Treasure Island, Coral Island, East Island, North Island and other islands and reefs in Xisha Islands, a large number of daily necessities such as copper coins and porcelain in Ming and Qing Dynasties have been unearthed one after another; It also includes the remains of ancient temples built by China fishermen found on the main islands of Xisha Islands. Only Zhaoshu Island, North Island, South Island, Yongxing Island, Dongdao Island, Chenhang Island, Guangjin Island, Coral Island and Ganquan Island have 14 ancient temples. Remains of ancient temples have also been found in Taiping Island, Zhongye Island, Nanwei Island, Nanjiao Island and Xiyue Island in Nansha Islands. Some of these temple characters were made in the Ming Dynasty, and most of them were made in the Qing Dynasty. At the same time, a number of stone tablets from the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China were also excavated on some islands and reefs in the Xisha Islands and Nansha Islands. Most of these stone tablets were erected by government or military officials who visited the island at that time.
The history of China people's exploitation of southwest zhongsha islands can also be strongly proved by The Road is Fine, which has been handed down from generation to generation. Geng Xu Bo is a guidebook for fishermen in coastal areas of China. According to textual research, the existing manuscript "Genglu Table" was made at the end of Qing Emperor Kangxi, which can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty. It recorded the name, exact location, navigation needle position (heading) and quantity (distance) of the islands and reefs in southwest zhongsha islands in detail. Such as the manuscripts of fishermen Su and Lu in Qionghai. , specifically indicating the main navigation routes and island reef features to Xisha, Nansha and zhongsha islands, is the most direct historical witness for our people to develop southwest zhongsha islands.