A study on historical evidence and its implications of the “Free China Junk” crew landed Diaoyutai Island in 1955

A study on historical evidence and its implications of the “Free China Junk” crew landed Diaoyutai Island in 1955

Diaoyutai Islands are a group of islands affiliated to Taiwan. There are many discourses on the sovereignty and legality of claim on the islands. This article firstly introduces the history of Taiwan's only ancient Chinese junk "Free China", describes its tortuous voyage and the process of salvaging it back to Taiwan, and highlights the importance of this cultural heritage. Following that, this research proves with historical evidence that the crew of the ship had visited the Diaoyutai Island in 1955 and to restore its image that it was an are of long held traditions for Taiwanese fishermen to to sail and fish. This article hopes that this historical study will provide alternative views and arguments for the discussion of Diaoyutai sovereignty and related issues from the perspective of cultural heritage preservation, traditional territory and sovereignity themes.
The article also discusses the relocation of Free China from the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology (NMMST) to the National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU) in 2019. Finally, it proposes several suggestions for future study on historic evidences and ship preservation.

Wen-Yan Chiau

The Museum of Underwater Archaeology

November 2021

English

Chiau, Wen-Yan. 2021. “A study on historical evidence and its implications of the “Free China Junk.” crew landed
Diaoyutai Island in 1955.” Edited by Brian Fahy, Hans Van Tilburg, Bill Jeffery, T. Kurt Knoerl, and Riley Smith. In
Proceedings of Fourth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Keelung,Taiwan, and
Virtual, November 1-5, 2021. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology URL: https://apconf-much.org/proceedings/exhibits/show/apconf-muchproceedings/item/678

Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage