Ship Requisition, Changes in Trade, and the Rise of Piracy During the Southern Song

Abstract: This paper examines the forced requisition of civilian ships, a routine occurrence during the Southern Song, as the background of the emergence of a large population of Chinese merchants based overseas in the second half of the twelfth century. By the Southern Song period, maritime defense mobilized both privately owned ships used for trade and warships. This restricted the overseas trade conducted by shipowners, driving some to relocate their bases overseas entirely. The forced ship requisition caused an outward relocation of merchant bases overseas, whereas the subsequent burden forced some to flee or turn to piracy in the domestic context. In collusion with coastal residents and government officials alike, pirates formed and operated numerous strongholds, plundering the seas and coastal regions and privately trading government-monopolized goods. As the coastal regions practically escaped government control, numerous trade vessels participated in the outward drain of export-prohibited Chinese coins in the 1250s. Abstract (Lang. Chinese): 摘要: 本文以十二世纪后半期中国商人立足于海外的活动据点大量出现为切入点，考察南宋频频强制征用民船用于海防的常规做法。南宋时，出于海防的需要，政府不仅征用战船，而且也征用民用商船，从而迫使部分船主将海运据点移往海外，由此带来的冲击致使有的船主流离失所，其中部分之一甚至落为海盗。这些海盗与沿海居民合谋，勾结政府官员，而建立了众多据点，进而强行掠夺海商，行劫于沿海地区，并在私下买卖政府独断的物品。随着政府对沿海地区的的失控，到十三世纪中叶，大量的商船已介入了原受禁的中国铜钱外销、外流的贸易行径。