NEWS - Statesboro/Effingham Area News
Last Updated on Thursday, 22 September 2011 15:46 Written by From Staff Reports Wednesday, 21 September 2011 12:00
Sept 21, 2011 – When Georgia Southern University history professor Robert Batchelor, Ph.D first moved to the Savannah area, he was intrigued by the history of the port, historic trade routes. This week he is at Oxford University in England presenting his findings on centuries-old Chinese trade routes that he uncovered that have been hidden for nearly 400 years.
Batchelor made the discovery while researching maps in Oxford University’s Bodleian Library, and is there discussing his discovery at a meeting of researchers being held today at Oxford.
“Like many researchers, I approached China in this period from the perspective of the Ming Empire, which because of The Forbidden City and The Great Wall is usually remembered for closure rather than openness,” explained Batchelor. “But when I moved to Georgia and began learning about the Savannah Port, it piqued my interest in the Chinese shipping trade of that era. I was studying a nearly 400-year-old map in the Bodleian Library when I discovered it was actually a map of Chinese trade routes. The Bodleian Library knew they had the map, but no modern scholars ever made the connection that the map actually documented Chinese trade routes.”
While studying the long neglected early 17th-century Chinese manuscript map, Batchelor discovered a finely drawn network of shipping routes. Unlike many Chinese maps that show only the empire itself, this map depicts the whole of East Asia and most importantly the trading routes used to reach Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It also shows how such navigation worked, and restoration has revealed that the routes on the map were drawn before the coasts. Batchelor believes the map was most likely commissioned by a Chinese or perhaps Moslem merchant family-lineage group from Quanzhou, Fujian, who had strong connections in Southeast Asia.
“The map is a unique artifact that tells the story of East Asian commerce as open, dynamic and driven by coastal merchant networks with aspirations to trade as far away as the Persian Gulf,” said Batchelor. The map, known as the Selden Map of China, was donated to the Bodleian in 1659 by English legal philosopher John Selden.
“Professor Batchelor’s discovery is another example of Georgia Southern University’s research reaching far beyond our borders and impacting people around the world,” said College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Dean Mike Smith. “There is no question that international scholars and researchers will study this map to unlock secrets lost to time and to better understand the impact and implications of international trade centuries ago.”
While the map will prove invaluable to researchers who want to study Chinese shipping and trade history, Batchelor thinks the discovery also paves the way for a modern dialogue about China’s relationship with the U.S. and other countries.
“Many people don’t realize that South Georgia’s relationship with China goes back to at least the 1760s when Henry Yonge planted the first soybean crop in North America in Savannah with seeds brought from China. It’s important to think like early Americans and merchant Chinese --reaching out to build relationships rather than walls,” said Batchelor.
GSU prepared this story on Dr. Batchelor. Published by Savannah Business Journal, 2011.
NEWS - Statesboro/Effingham Area News
Last Updated on Tuesday, 20 September 2011 23:39 Written by From Staff Reports Sunday, 14 August 2011 18:48
Aug 15, 2011 - Nominations are now being accepted for Leadership Effingham Class of 2011 –2012, sponsored by the Effingham County Chamber of Commerce and designed to educate a select group of citizens in all facets of Effingham County.
This trained pool of citizens will then be ready for service when a vacancy arises on various boards, collaboratives and committees. Professionals in the areas of county government, hospital administration, public education, taxation, residential and economic development, community service and law enforcement will provide the course content.
The Leadership Effingham class meets once a month on the second Thursday of each month from October—May. The cost to participate in the class is only $100 per participant, and candidates must be willing to make the commitment to attend at least eight of the ten sessions.
The class requires completion of a group project relating to a current local issue or concern.
This year’s program will begin on October 13, 2011 and conclude at the Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting in June 2012. Each session will last approximately three hours, with dinner included.
Nominees will be selected by an impartial committee and notified upon selection. The Effingham Chamber encourages local businesses to nominate individuals or themselves – people they believe will benefit from the program.
For information, contact Rick Lott at (912) 754-3301 for more information or download a Nomination Form now to begin the application process at the Chamber’s website.
In other Chamber news:
Volunteers are needed for a flood control project, working with fellow Chamber member, David Skadeland, “to bring a new concept on flood control,” according to Lott. “We want to set a date next week for a small group of interested people to get together, look at the concept, and make plans to do some final testing. Once the "bugs" are worked out, a final test will be videotaped so it can be introduced to a larger audience. This new idea utilizes jet ski’s to move flood waters efficiently and economically.
If you would like to be part of this exciting project, contact Lott at the Effingham Chamber office.
