via Taiwan News, 03 March 2021: A story about 16-17th Chinese shipbuilding techniques, in the backdrop of the “Free China” junk, a 1955 voyage by five Taiwanese fishermen across the Pacific to take part in a trans-Atlantic yacht race. I’ve attached a video at the end of this post, and there’s a book about it here (Amazon affiliate link).
Taiwan’s foremost expert on traditional Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasty (1644-1912) ships recently shared the story of the “Free China” (自由中國號) junk with Taiwan News and discussed some of the unique features of 16th and 17th-century Chinese ships, which made them superior to European-style vessels of the same era.
Tseng Shu-ming (曾樹銘), a life-long resident of Keelung City, is a master model shipbuilder and the nation’s most knowledgeable person on traditional Chinese shipbuilding and maritime history. He told Taiwan News on Sunday (Feb. 28) that he has been obsessed with model making since he could wield a pair of scissors.
During his childhood, he often observed ships coming and going at Keelung Harbor, which ignited his passion for seafaring vessels. Tseng reasoned that since Taiwan is an island country, it should highlight its connection with the sea. Thus, he has taken it upon himself to promote maritime culture.
One significant event in Taiwan’s marine history was the voyage of the “Free China” junk, Tseng pointed out. He explained that in the early 1950s, Paul Chou (周傳鈞), Hu Loo-chi (胡露奇), Marco Yu-lin Chung (种玉麟), Reno Chia-lin Chen (陳家琳), and Benny Chia-cheng Hsu (徐家政) were looking for a way to leave Taiwan — which was under martial law at the time.
