Xuwen was an important town in southern Xinjiang in ancient China. It is a land post station, a maritime artery leading to Tianjin, and a coastal county administration. It was once the political, economic, military and cultural center of most parts of Guangdong and Guangxi and the whole Hainan Island. Hepu County was established in the first year of Ding Yuan, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and the county was ruled in Hangang, xuwen county. According to the Book of the Later Han Dynasty? According to "County Records and National Records", Hepu County has jurisdiction over Xuwen (now the whole territory of Leizhou Peninsula), Hepu (now the southern coast of Guangxi), Gaoliang (now Yangjiang, Maoming, Lianjiang and Wuchuan in Zhanjiang), Lin Yun (now emerging) and Zhulu (now Hainan), with jurisdiction from Dongxing, Xinxing and Yangjiang in the west and Leizhou Peninsula and Yangjiang in the south. According to Yu Fang Minutes, "South Binhai is far away from Jiaozhou, which is the key for barbarians to control Guangdong and Guangxi." It shows that Xu Wendi's geographical position is very important, and he also controls Qiongzhou Strait and Beibu Gulf, thus establishing the political, military, economic and cultural center of Lingnan in Han Dynasty. It is also one of the earliest foreign trade ports in ancient China. From the rise of the Han Dynasty to the Three Kingdoms, the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Xuwen Port's foreign trade was quite developed. In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty (around 1 17 BC), Xiongnu occupied most of the west of Hexi Corridor, which blocked the land traffic between China and the West, and made the maritime traffic in the south more important. Xuwen Port, located in Qiongzhou Strait, was the only place for ships sailing along the coast to Southeast Asian countries at that time, which played an important role in history. Since then, due to the extension of land, the progress of navigation technology and the development of land transportation, Xuwen Port is no longer the only way for Southeast Asian countries to sail. Although the name Ergan has been relied on for many years. However, the former port site of that year has long gone through the sea and disappeared into obscurity.
So, what causes it to flourish and what causes it to decline?
Shen Rongsong, a professor at Sun Yat-sen University, once wrote in Lingnan Literature and History that the rise and fall of ports evolved with the changes of social, political, economic and natural conditions. Professor Shen found from historical records and archaeological research that Xuwen Port, as a foreign trade port in China, was relatively developed in the Han Dynasty for two main reasons:
1. Political stability and economic prosperity in the Western Han Dynasty: official overseas trade was created, making Xuwen Port an important port for foreign trade.
It was only in the Western Han Dynasty that Qin Shihuang unified China through the Wuling Mountains. In the early Han Dynasty, a series of political and economic measures were taken to reward farming, reduce taxes and rest with the people. After 50 or 60 years of relative stability, the national economy has been restored and developed. By the time Emperor Han Ming arrived, it was already "the world is at peace and the people are rich", and the prosperity of social economy will inevitably promote the development of industry and commerce, transportation and foreign trade. There was no domestic customs ban in Han dynasty, and commercial traffic was unimpeded. After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty opened up territory, he started official enterprise's overseas trade. In the Han Dynasty, Huangmen translators directly under the imperial court were often sent to lead the enlisted crew to board the ship from Xuwen or Hepu with gold and silk, set sail at sea, and conducted official diplomatic activities and trade with overseas countries. After returning home, they exchanged pearls, precious stones and other rare treasures to meet the needs of the imperial court. Therefore, the economic prosperity in the Western Han Dynasty was an important condition for the prosperity and development of Xuwen Port.
Second, the geographical location of Xuwen Port was favorable for maritime traffic and trade at that time.
Xuwen Port is located at the southern tip of Chinese mainland, guarding Qiongzhou Strait. It was the only place where ships sailed along the coast at that time, and it was the earliest contact area between China and overseas traffic. It was the departure port of China merchant ships sailing to Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean in Han Dynasty, and also the destination port of ships from Daqin (Rome), Tianzhu (India), Persia and other countries arriving in China. Due to the strict restrictions on overseas trade in the Han Dynasty, only a few ports on the border, Xuwen, Hepu and the coastal areas of Vietnam, were allowed to trade with each other. At the same time, during the Han Dynasty, there were left and right officials stationed in Xuwen, in charge of military and political affairs and foreign trade, where a large number of goods were stored and traded with overseas businessmen. Many ocean-going ships from China and foreign countries also call at this port to replenish fresh water, food and goods. Therefore, Xuwen Port became an important transit port and distribution center of goods in Han Dynasty.
As for the reasons for the decline of Xuwen Port, Professor Shen believes that it is composed of four reasons:
First, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, politics entered a dark period, and the struggle between local officials and powerful groups intensified day by day, and it experienced a big melee, eventually forming a separatist situation of Wei, Han and Wu countries headed by Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan. Political turmoil will inevitably lead to economic recession, and will also affect the development of foreign trade and changes in trade policies. At the same time, during the Three Kingdoms period, Jiaotoe (Vietnam) once rebelled and attacked Hepu and other places; The routes between Xuwen and Hepu to Southeast Asian countries were seriously blocked, which seriously affected Xuwen, a bustling trade transit port.
2. After the Jin Dynasty, Panyu (Guangzhou) Port gradually replaced Xuwen and Hepu as the largest foreign trade port in China. The Qinling Mountains and the Pearl River Delta have become increasingly developed, and Panyu has become a distribution center for goods of Xijiang, Beijiang and Dongjiang rivers. Moreover, the smooth opening of Meiling Tunnel has made the contact and commercial trade between Guangdong and the Central Plains increasingly frequent. Coupled with the progress of navigation technology, the increase of ship tonnage and the strengthening of wind resistance, there is no need to rush ashore, so Panyu (Guangzhou) will gradually replace Xuwen and Hepu as the main port for overseas transportation in China.
Third, the change of ocean routes makes Xuwen no longer a transit port. New Tang book? Geographical Records accurately recorded the route from Guangzhou to the Indian Ocean described by Jia Dan, the prime minister during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty (785-805). On this route, most ships take the northeast monsoon from the eastern part of Hainan Island, pass through seven continents to the South China Sea, and pass through the Straits of Malacca to the Indian Ocean. After the Tang Dynasty, the number of ocean-going ships sailing through Xuwen Port decreased obviously, which led to the gradual decline of Xuwen Port.
Fourth, influenced by natural factors. Xuwen Ancient Port Wangtao Port (now Sandun Port) was gradually silted up by sediment, and it even became a wasteland for a long time.
After all, Xuwen ancient port has become a historical relic. Developing the tourism industry related to Hangang, rationally and effectively developing and utilizing the cultural resources of Hangang, and making it a rich resource for local people, is probably the greatest contribution of Hangang site to reality. I believe that in the near future, with the improvement of the construction of "Sandun Tourist Area in Dahan", Xuwen Hangang will once again be famous in the world!