Junk (ship)

A junk (Chinese: 䑸; pinyin: zōng) is a special kind of Chinese sailing ship. It has a central rudder, a flat transom that sticks out over the water, and strong watertight bulkheads to keep water out. Junks also have a flat bottom, making them easy to build and sail. These ships were made with iron nails and clamps instead of wood glue.

Junks were used for many things, like carrying goods along the coast or on rivers, or even as comfortable living spaces called houseboats. Some were big enough to travel across the ocean! Over time, Chinese junks changed a lot. At first, they only had square sails and stayed close to shore. But during the Song dynasty, around the year 1000, they started using new ideas from ships from Southeast Asia, like special tanja sails and new ways to set the sails called junk rigs.

Other countries liked these ships too. For example, Japan used junks to trade with China and nearby lands. The junk is an important part of history because it shows how people traveled and traded long ago.

Etymology and history of the term

The word "junk" in English comes from the Portuguese word junco, which came from the Malay word jong. It first described very large trading ships from Java that the Portuguese found in Southeast Asia. Over time, the term also came to include smaller, flat-bottomed Chinese ships called chuán, even though they looked quite different from the Javanese ships. After large Javanese ships stopped being used in the 1600s, "junk" began to mean only the Chinese ships.

Chinese ships and Southeast Asian ships are sometimes mixed up because they both could carry a lot of cargo and had several layers of wood in their hulls and multiple masts and sails. But there are two big differences. Southeast Asian ships were built using special ropes and wooden pins, while Chinese ships were always built with iron nails and clamps. Also, Chinese ships had a single central rudder, while Southeast Asian ships used two rudders on the sides.

The big ocean-going Chinese ships, called "junk" today, started to develop during the Song dynasty (around 960 to 1279). They were likely influenced by Southeast Asian ships that Chinese traders met in southern China, especially in how they were rigged and their sails. But Chinese ships also had their own special features, like watertight compartments and central rudders. By the 15th century, new ships appeared that mixed ideas from both Chinese and Southeast Asian designs.

Construction

Sails

Main article: Junk rig

Old pictures of ships from China show that early Chinese ships used square sails. One old picture from a temple shows a ship with a square sail, and another from a mirror also shows a ship with a square sail. Later, a special kind of sail called the "junk rig" was used. This sail had pieces called battens that kept the sail flat. This type of sail may have come from Southeast Asia and was used by Chinese shipbuilders around the 12th century.

Hull

Chinese junks were built differently from other ships. Instead of starting with a dugout canoe, they started with rafts. This gave them special features like no keels, low decks, and strong walls inside the ship called bulkheads. These bulkheads helped keep the ship strong and could stop water from spreading if the ship got a hole.

Classic junks were made from soft wood, and later from teak wood. They were built with the outside shape first, and then many inside rooms and walls were added. The hull often had a special shape at the back and a flat bottom, which helped the ship move well in rivers. The bulkheads inside the ship were very important because they made the ship stronger and helped control water if there was a leak.

Leeboards and centerboards

Junks had smart ways to stay balanced in the water. They used special boards called leeboards and daggerboards to help stop the ship from moving sideways. They also used a tool called a compass to help with navigation, although early compasses were not always very accurate.

Steering

Junks had a special kind of steering called a stern-mounted rudder, which was placed at the back of the ship. This was used long before other ships had this kind of steering. The rudder could be adjusted up and down depending on how deep the water was, which helped protect the ship if it hit the bottom. Big junks sometimes needed many people to control the rudder in rough weather. Some junks also had leeboards or daggerboards to help with balance. The oldest known picture of a ship with this kind of rudder is from a pottery model that is very old, from before the 1st century CE.

History

Han to Northern and southern dynasties era (2nd–6th century)

Chinese ships during this time were mostly used for rivers, but some sailed the open seas to places like Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. Regular trips to Southeast Asia and beyond didn’t start until the 9th century. Large ships from other places, called kunlun po, were seen in Chinese ports as early as the 3rd century. These ships could sail well even in strong winds and big waves.

Sui to Tang dynasty (7th century–9th century)

In 683 CE, Tang envoys traveled to Srivijaya using foreign ships. By the 9th century, kunlun po ships were common in southern China’s trading ports.

Rise of Song dynasty (10th–13th century)

The Song dynasty allowed private ships to trade overseas in 989 CE after losing access to northern trade routes. Rules were relaxed in 1090, letting ships register from any port. The first records of Chinese ships trading abroad appeared in the 11th century, mostly to Southeast Asia, Japan, and Korean states.

Large Song dynasty junks were described as very big, with some said to be around 71 meters long and carry up to 600 passengers. Shipwrecks from this time measured around 30 to 35 meters long.

Yuan dynasty (14th century)

The Yuan dynasty lifted trade restrictions in 1279, but later controlled trade through government partnerships. Chinese ships were also noted by travelers like Ibn Battuta, who described their size and structure.

Ming dynasty (15th–17th century)

Expedition of Zheng He

Zheng He’s expeditions used very large junks, though exact sizes are debated. Descriptions from nearly two centuries later suggest ships up to 127 meters long, but modern scholars think they were likely between 61 to 76 meters.

International Commerce

Portuguese writer Duarte Barbosa described Chinese ships, calling them “jungos,” noting their two masts and mat sails. These ships traded goods like iron, saltpetre, and pepper.

Sea ban

Private trade was banned in 1371 but lifted during Zheng He’s expeditions before being reinstated in 1479. This ban lasted until the mid-16th century, reducing China’s maritime activity.

Capture of Taiwan

In 1661, a fleet of 400 junks led by Koxinga arrived in Taiwan, capturing the Dutch fortress at Fort Zeelandia after a nine-month siege. Taiwan became the base for Koxinga’s Kingdom of Tungning.

Qing dynasty (17th–19th century)

Large ocean-going junks were important in Asian trade until the 19th century. The junk Keying sailed from China to the United States and England between 1846 and 1848. Some junks were armed and fought in naval battles during the Opium Wars.

Modern period (20th century)

In 1938, E. Allen Petersen escaped Japan by sailing a junk from Shanghai to California. In 1955, six men sailed a Ming-style junk from Taiwan to San Francisco, making front-page news. In 1959, a junk named Rubia sailed from Hong Kong to Barcelona. In 1981, a 65-foot junk named Bedar was built in Malaysia and sailed around the world, finishing in 1998. A new junk, Naga Pelangi, was built in 2004 to keep the tradition alive.