‘A pellet of an island in the vastness of water and sky’: Nan’ao Island 南澳島 and Imperial China's Longue Durée

Abstract

Located in the nearshore waters of coastal South China, Nan’ao Island long sat on the edge of the Chinese world. With the island located along transregional sea routes, seafarers from near and far began arriving on its shores no later than a millennium ago. Yet the island did not begin consistently appearing in the historical record until the early modern period. Examining materials from between the seventh and seventeenth centuries, the present study seeks to understand insular activities and imperial understandings of and responses to them. The study argues that connections created by seagoers and their potential to impact China led to progressively greater awareness of Nan’ao beyond the locality. It reveals that although only one island was physically present off the coast, multiple islands existed in action and conception over the longue durée of Chinese history.