Ancient Chinese Maritime Technologies: How did the Ancient Chinese Sail the Seas?
The ancient Chinese developed highly advanced maritime technologies, as exemplified by the 7 voyages of Admiral Zheng He during the Ming Dynasty. The talk will describe the advances made by the ancient Chinese in the field of celestial navigation, ship construction and seamanship that enabled them to make trans-ocean voyages. The talk will draw on references from the Zheng He voyages, as well as from the texts of two ancient sailing directories. The talk will also explore the issue of why in spite of the great efficiency of Chinese sailing junks, they began to lose their competitiveness during the 19th century.
MEET THE SPEAKER
Naval Architect, Marine Artist & Maritime Historian
 | Chung Chee Kit holds a degree in Naval Architect and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He held senior management positions within the shipping industry with companies like Keppel Corporation and IMC Shipping. He had four decades in the maritime industry, and at various times been involved in shiprepair, shipbuilding, international shipping, shipping agencies and offshore engineering. He also had experience in port development and supply chain management. He has done research on the ancient Chinese maritime technologies, with particular focus on the 7 voyages of Admiral Zheng He during the Ming Dynasty. He is an advocate for maritime culture, and has held several exhibitions on his maritime paintings. |
This event is presented by The HEAD Foundation, a Singapore-based think tank devoted to research and policy influence in education and leadership, for development in Asia. Admission is free.
