Champa foreign trade seen from Quang Nam

Statue of Buddha Shakyamuni in Dong Duong. Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History

From Sa Huynh port

Professor Lam Thi My Dung said that the East Sea in prehistoric and early historical times was the midpoint on the cultural and economic corridor from North to South, from East to West.

The seaports of Central Vietnam have short routes connecting international shipping routes in the East Sea with land and river routes in mainland Southeast Asia. Archaeological discoveries in Southeast Asia in the past century show that the ancient inhabitants of Sa Huynh participated in trade activities on the maritime route connecting South China to Southeast Asian countries, to India and the Mediterranean.

Some unique products of the ancient Sa Huynh people such as 3-point earrings, 2-head animal earrings appear in some places outside of Vietnam such as Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia... On the contrary, there are relics crafted from imported materials such as agate.

In the monograph “Indian contact in Sa Huynh culture”, Dr. Nguyen Kim Dung stated that “a part of the beads such as black and white banded agate beads, purple garnet beads discovered in Sa Huynh relics are of Indian origin”.

Thus, it can be said that foreign trade activities in Quang Nam were formed since the time when the ancient Sa Huynh people still ruled this land. With primitive boats, following the ocean currents of the Pacific Ocean, they could reach other lands in Southeast Asia to exchange and trade necessary products.

According to many researchers, around the 1st-2nd century BC, in Southeast Asia, "port cities" appeared and a type of small state was formed, which were "port states".
This state controlled all traffic from the major rivers. The lower reaches became port areas, the upper reaches were places where forest materials were exploited to concentrate products to supply foreign merchants. The power of these princes was based on external theocracy such as Hinduism or Islam.

The ancient land of Hoi An, where the major rivers of Quang Nam converge, has many river ports and the Dai Chiem estuary, which is qualified to become a "port city", a gateway for the ancient Sa Huynh people of Quang Nam to trade with the outside world. This "port city" not only plays an important role in the economic field, but is also the place where Indian civilization was introduced quite early. Surely the Sa Huynh aristocracy adopted Hinduism to increase their political prestige, forming a primitive state, which later became the small state of Amaravati in the ancient kingdom of Champa.

...to Champa port

Continuing the economic activities of the ancient Sa Huynh people, the Cham people developed a network of exchange and trade at the wharves and markets along the Thu Bon, Vu Gia, Cu De rivers. They were also very good at seafaring.

Islam pottery and colored glass in Bai Lang - Cu Lao Cham. Photo: Hoi An Center for Cultural Heritage Management and Conservation.

Based on the documents of ancient Chinese books such as Van hien Thong khao, Tong su... G. Maspero wrote in the work Kingdom of Champa: "The Cham people are good fishermen and brave sailors, they are not afraid to go far, under King Wen (Pham Van), they went to Chinese ports, and their relations with Java show that their ships often visited cities on the coast of Java". The Champa court organized and managed import and export quite tightly.

One of the evidences of Champa-India trade activities is the statue of Buddha Shakyamuni discovered in the Dong Duong region in 1911. The statue depicts Buddha Shakyamuni standing on a lotus-shaped pedestal, wearing a kasaya robe with his right shoulder exposed, the folds of the robe curving up towards his left shoulder, his right hand making a preaching gesture (vitarkamudra) and his left hand holding the hem of his robe (katakamudra).

Jean Bosselier believes that the statue bears the features of the Amaravati style, originating from the Andhra Pradesh region in Southeast India, dating from around the late 4th century to the early 6th century. Thus, the statue dates earlier than the time of construction of Dong Duong Buddhist Institute and was brought from abroad to Champa land.

Thanks to its favorable location, abundant natural resources and effective trade activities, Amaravati became one of the most prosperous states of the Champa kingdom. The Amaravati region had commercial ports such as Cua Han - Da Nang, Cua Dai - Hoi An, and Tra Khuc - Quang Ngai, along with marinas on the islands of Cu Lao Cham and Cu Lao Re, where Indian, Chinese, Arab and Southeast Asian merchant ships frequently docked.

Hoi An is located at a key position on the sea route connecting China with countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia and has become an important stopover, purchasing and exchanging point for goods.

Through excavations or exploratory digging in Thanh Chiem, Hau Xa, Trang Soi, Bau Da, Cu Lao Cham (Hoi An), Trung Phuong, Tra Kieu (Duy Xuyen)... many Chinese ceramics and bronze coins from the Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties were found, in addition to artifacts of West Asian origin such as Islam ceramics, colored glass... Foreign trade activities in Hoi An port during the Champa period were more bustling than in Da Nang Bay thanks to the rich forest products at the headwaters of Thu Bon and Vu Gia, and at the same time, there were also items that West Asian residents really liked, which was the famous silk produced in the Amaravati region...

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/ngoai-thuong-champa-nhin-tu-quang-nam-3144319.html