Guang Chuan, also known as Guang Dong Chuan (廣東船, lit. 'Guangdong ship'), Wu Cao (烏艚, lit. 'Black junk') and several other names, is a type of sailing ship originated from Guangdong and commonly used across Lingnan region. It is one of the "Four Great Ancient Ships" of China.
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Drawing of a Guang Chuan. Note the outrigger that extends beyond the width of the hull. From 'Deng Tan Bi Jiu (《登壇必究》)'. |
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A regional variant of Guang Chuan from Xinhui District, known as Jian Wei Chuan (尖尾船, lit. 'Pointed-tail ship'). Note its wall-less shed. From 'Deng Tan Bi Jiu (《登壇必究》)'. |
As shown in the illustrations, Ming period Guang Chuan were equipped with oars as an auxiliary means of propulsion, although these seem to disappear come the Qing period.
As warship, Guang Chuan is generally larger and significantly tougher than Fu Chuan (福船), its closely-related cousin from Fujian, and will soundly pulverise the latter in a ramming attack. This is due to the fact that major structural components of Guang Chuan are made of tough and durable hardwood such as teak and Ceylon ironwood imported from Southeast Asia, whereas Fu Chuan is built from lighter, locally-sourced materials. Thanks to these durable materials, Guang Chuan is less maintenance intensive than Fu Chuan, although on the flip side it is more expensive to build and difficult to repair if damaged.
Evolution into the ultimate war junk
For all its durability, Guang Chuan did have an oft-criticised flaw: lack of protective superstructure. In stark contrast to the fully enclosed and heavily reinforced superstructure of Fu Chuan, Guang Chuan was only fitted with a low, wall-less, bamboo-roofed shed that barely provided any protection to ship crew, not to mention vulnerable to fire and could even hinder crew mobility due to low height. Luckily, the flaw wasn't a serious one and was easy to remedy.
Ironically, just when Fujianese shipwrights were building warships without superstructure to make space for heavier guns and broadside tactics, Guangdong shipwrights were busy incorporating Fu Chuan's sturdy superstructure into their own designs. Combining the best of both worlds, the improved Guang Chuan became a formidable warship second only to the great ships of the Europeans. Not only Guang Chuan's huge size allowed it to carry large numbers of combatants and be fitted with larger superstructures than Fu Chuan, making it supremely dangerous at close range and boarding action, its strong hull and additional maneuverability provided by oars also turned it into a potent ramming vessel. In addition, Guang Chuan's heavy build could withstand the weight and recoil of more powerful guns, allowing it to keep up with the newfound firepower of its Fujianese counterpart, at least for a time, although it too became obsolete around 1630-50s.
Wu Wei Chuan (烏尾船, lit. 'Black-tailed ship')
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Drawing of a late Ming Wu Wei Chuan. Note its enclosed outrigger with additional fencing on top, as well as fore- and aftercastle. From 'Jing Guo Xiong Lue (《經國雄略》)'. |
Wu Wei Chuan's call to fame, ironically, came not from Ming navy, but from Chinese pirate Zeng Yi Ben (曾一本), who assembled a never-before-seen war fleet of captured Wu Wei Chuan and terrorised the coasts of Guangzhou unopposed. So fearsome was Zhen Yi Ben's fleet, that Ming navy had to muster a huge armada—the largest since Zheng He's treasure voyages—and even purpose-built twenty-four massive ironclad warships in order to put him down for good. Thereafter, Wu Wei Chuan became the most representative and ubiquitous Guang Chuan in military service, and by the twilight years of the Ming Dynasty it had become one of the two premier warships of Ming navy along with Niao Chuan (鳥船).
Other blog posts in my Four Great Ancient Ships series:
Guang Chuan (廣船)
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