Wealth of historical records proves Chinese sovereignty
For hundreds of years or even longer, fishermen and sailors in Hainan, China's southernmost province, have used a specific book as a guide during their voyages.
The book, called Genglubu, or Road Book, is a navigation log of the South China Sea. It is a navigation guide based on experience accumulated over many generations. There are numerous handwritten versions of the accounts, put down between the 13th century and no later than the early 18th century. There are many versions of Genglubu scattered in different fishing villages in Hainan. However, according to Zhou Weimin, a professor at Hainan University, the book's significance has gone far beyond the realm of sea voyages. Zhou said it is ironclad proof of China's sovereignty over the South China Sea.
"China's claims are based on historical evidence," he said. "There are overlapping claims over the islands, but few countries have questioned that China was indeed the first country to discover and name the islands in the South China Sea. The history of the continuous exercise of authority spans some 2,000 years."
Zhou said Genglubu provides detailed narratives on the direction and distance of the navigational routes, and reveals remarkable regularity in the naming of the islands by the fishermen.
The fishermen had given names to most of the 280-plus islands, isles and reefs in the South China Sea, Zhou said.
In addition, the Genglubu records of the places are in line with China's official historical records dating back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), which show that the Chinese people discovered these islands and carried out production activities on and around them, he added.
For instance, the Yongle Islands were called "Shitang" in Genglubu, which is the same name used in official records of the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
Zhou said the names of the islands given by Hainan's fishermen have also been used in foreign publications. A book written by Japanese explorer Ogura Nosuke mentioned the names of about 10 South China Sea islands given by Hainan. The book also included detailed maps of the islands.
"Before the presence of Western powers in the South China Sea, the Chinese were the only people to give names to the islands, to use them as sites for their production and habitation," he noted.
He said such activities are concrete evidence of China's control over the South China Sea islands, and this evidence is in line with ancient official documents. According to historical records, the islands were under the administration of Zhenzhou, the southernmost prefecture of the country, during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
Relics relating to production and habitation by Chinese people have been discovered on the islands, pointing to a history of more than 1,000 years.
Guo Zhenqian, another researcher in Hainan, made a detailed study of local fishermen's activities based on the book. There are statistics on how many islands have been inhabited by Hainan's fishermen, and there are the numbers of inhabitants and the years when they lived there.
"The fact that the fishermen could live and work on the islands for a long time shows that they had been effectively administered by the (Chinese) government," Guo said.
zhaoshijun@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 07/11/2016 page4)
