Chapter 17 Section 2 The Shipbuilding Peak of Qin and Han Dynasties

During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the development of my country's shipbuilding industry reached its first peak.Qin Shihuang organized a large fleet capable of transporting 500,000 shi of grain in the war to unify southern China.According to ancient books, Qin Shihuang once sent a general to lead a fleet composed of buildings and ships to attack the state of Chu.After the unification of China, he made several large-scale cruises, cruising in inland rivers or sailing on the sea. By the Han Dynasty, the navy with building ships as the main force was already very strong.It is said that in one battle, the central government of the Han Dynasty could dispatch more than 2,000 ships and 200,000 naval troops.The fleet is equipped with various combat ships, including the assault ship "Xiandeng" which is at the forefront of the fleet, the long and narrow warship "Mengchong" used to attack enemy ships, the fast ship "Chima" which is as fast as a galloping horse, and the "Chima" which is as fast as a galloping horse. There is a heavy armored ship "sill" with double-layer boards on the upper and lower sides.Of course, the building ship is the most important ship and the main force of the navy.Louchuan is a famous ship type in the Han Dynasty, and its construction and development are also a symbol of superb shipbuilding technology.Louchuan, as the name suggests, is a boat with buildings, more than 10 feet high, with several floors on the deck.Each layer has a female wall (that is, a low wall) to defend against the bows and arrows shot by the enemy. There are windows on the female wall for launching bows and crossbows to attack the enemy.In order to defend against enemy fire, the ship was covered with leather.Flags and banners are planted all over the huge building boat, and there are many swords and guns to strengthen its momentum. In 1975, the ruins of a large-scale ancient shipbuilding workshop were excavated in Guangzhou, and three large slipways were discovered, which could simultaneously build several wooden ships weighing 50 to 60 tons.According to textual research, this is a shipbuilding site in the Qin and Han Dynasties.In addition, in today's Shaanxi, Sichuan, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and other places, there are also shipbuilding factories in the Qin and Han Dynasties.For example, the Han Dynasty Kunming Pool Shipbuilding Base in the west of Chang'an City has a circumference of 40 miles, and sometimes there are nearly a hundred tall ships in the pool.The boats are fully equipped, such as ropes, sculls, sails, paddles, etc. have been used.

The development of the shipbuilding industry in the Qin and Han Dynasties laid a solid foundation for the advancement of shipbuilding technology in later generations.Jiangdong, where Sun Wu was based during the Three Kingdoms period, was historically the land of Wuyue where the shipbuilding industry was developed.The largest warship built by Wu State has five floors and can carry 3,000 soldiers.The big ships such as "Feiyun" and "Gaihai" on which Sun Quan rode are even more majestic.Sun Wu has sent large fleets to voyage to Liaodong and the South China Sea many times.Sun Wu's civilian shipping industry is also very developed.For example, "□□[goulugoulu]zhou", located in the southwest of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, was named after the large ship "□□Dabian".These big boats are made of high-quality hardwood "Yuzhangnan□〔xianxian〕" with careful selection of materials, which are extremely strong.After the Jin Dynasty destroyed the Shu Han, in order to further destroy the Wu State, it sent Wang Jun to build a large ship in Sichuan to form a huge naval fleet.The building boat organized and built by Wang Jun has a maximum square of 120 steps (one step is six feet), and can carry more than 2,000 people. There is a watchtower on the deck, and horses can be used on the boat. Not yet".When the state of Wu, which was known for its shipbuilding industry, was destroyed, more than 5,000 official ships were captured by the Jin Dynasty, which shows the prosperity of the shipbuilding industry.By the time of the Southern Dynasties, Jiangnan had developed to be able to build large ships of 1,000 tons.In order to increase the speed of sailing, Zu Chongzhi (429-500 A.D.), a great scientist in the Southern Qi Dynasty, "built another thousand-mile ship, tested it on the Xinting River, and traveled more than a hundred miles a day" (Volume 52 of "Book of Southern Qi").It is a ship with paddle wheels, called "car boat".This kind of boat uses human power to push the boat forward by pedaling wheels.Although it is not as economical as the use of natural forces by sails, it is also a great invention, which provides new ideas for the improvement of ship power and occupies an important position in the history of shipbuilding.