Paper short abstract:

Trade between China and Southeast Asia is examined considering issues of production and distribution by comparing chemical signatures obtained through Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy of porcelain from the Philippines and from sites in southern China across various scales.

Paper long abstract:

Maritime trade between Song, Yuan, and Ming Dynasty China and Southeast Asian polities is recognized as a defining force of the current global world, but the mechanisms of this exchange network have only recently become a topic for research. In order to understand the context of this trade it is important to examine the issue from the perspectives of both production and distribution. Within the Philippines, it has been seen that tradeware were a mark of status as chiefly powers used them to legitimize their status and were utilized as political currency in the contexts of competitive feasting, strategic marriages, and military alliances. It is equally important to consider the variations in production strategies and sources within Fujian kiln sites. This research examines issues of production and distribution by comparing chemical signatures of porcelain collected in the Philippines and clay and kiln samples collected from sites in Fujian, China. These signatures are determined through the use of Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS) and are then used to distinguish network patterns, examine ceramic homogeneity across the site, region, and island levels, and to suggest porcelains kiln sites as sources of production. This focus across various scales, and at both ends of this trade connection, allows for the examination of not just centers but also 'periphery' groups which were likewise connected and interlinked into this porcelain exchange network. This research outlines the potential of such an approach and produces results which suggest economic variability in acquisition strategies.