Junk Keying
Encyclopedia
Keying ' onMouseout='HidePop("81916")' href="/topics/Manchu">Manchu
official Qiying
; the English name is based on Cantonese pronunciation) was a three-masted, 800-ton Foochow
Chinese trading junk which sailed from China
around the Cape of Good Hope
to the United States
and Britain
between 1846 and 1848.
Keying had been purchased in August 1846 in secrecy by British businessmen in Hong Kong
, who defied a Chinese law prohibiting the sale of Chinese ships to foreigners. She was manned by 12 British and 30 Chinese sailors (the latter all Canton
ese). She was commanded by Captain Charles Alfred Kellett
, also British.
The Keying was the first ship from China to visit New York. She moored off the Battery on the southern tip of Manhattan
in July 1847, and was received with great fanfare.
The Chinese crew of Keying were understandably angry as they had signed on only for an eight-month voyage to Singapore
and Batavia (now Jakarta)
. Twenty-six of them left Keying and returned to Canton on board the Candace, which sailed 6 October 1847.
Keying stayed several months in New York. 4,000 visitors a day paid 25 cents to board the ship and observe its design and crew.
P. T. Barnum
had a copy of Keying built in Hoboken
(Barnum claimed he had it towed from China), and exhibited it with a crew which may have included some of the Keying Chinese. However the Brooklyn Eagle
described Barnum's crew as as "one third white and two thirds negroes or mulattoes", so probably no real Keying crew were present.
Keying also moored in Boston on November 18, 1847, by the Charles River Bridge, according to the Boston Evening Transcript of 1847. She was visited by many people, with as many as four to five thousand on Thanksgiving Day.
Keying next sailed to Britain. A storm on 28 February wrecked her two boats, ripped the foresail, and disabled the hardwood ironbound rudder, which was hung in the Chinese manner without gudgeon
s or pintle
s. During the repair of the rudder the second mate drowned.
Keying was fast, as was noted by the press:
Keying reached Britain in March 1848, and a medal was made in honor of her arrival. The obverse of the medal gives the following account:
Keying was praised by the British as excellent in seaworthiness, and practically superior to their own:
A multitude visited the ship, including Queen Victoria and other members of the Royal family.
The Illustrated London News of 29 July 1848 described the visits to the Keying as follows:
The Times also reported Keyings visit:
The Keying was towed from London to the river Mersey
by the steam tug Shannon, arriving 14 May 1853, and anchored off Rock Ferry
on the Cheshire
shore. On 29 September 1853, Keying was preparing to leave for foreign ports in three weeks. But instead it was dismantled "for research" at the shipyard of Redhead, Harling, and Brown.
The Plymouth and Devonport weekly journal for Thursday, 6 December 1855 reported
Keying may not have been quite the first Chinese sailing ship to round the Cape of Good Hope, since the Venetian
monk and cartographer Fra Mauro
describes in his 1457 Fra Mauro map
the travels of a huge "ship or junk from India" 2,000 miles (3,000 km) into the Atlantic Ocean
around 1420 (Original Italian "una naue ouer çoncho de India", lit. "A ship or junk of India"). It is unclear though which part of Asia this expression would refer to, as "India
" was a general descriptor for Asia at that time. If it was a Chinese junk, then depending on what credence one places on the theories about the voyages of the ships of Admiral Zheng He
's squadrons, then that may be one explanation. Piero Falchetta
in his 2006 Fra Mauro World Map describes the passage as "The important note which in all probability refers to the voyages of Zheng Ho". Given the penetration of Arab mariners down the east coast of Africa, this might also be a voyaging vessel from the Indian Ocean trading 'circuit'.
, in Stanley, Hong Kong
. This model was based on contemporary reports and images allied to a comprehensive analysis of traditional Fuzhou junk lines.
The model is thought by some to be incorrect: the shape of the hull lacks the great curvature which is clearly and consistently shown in some of the many contemporary illustrations of the original vessel. However, the Currier print made at the time (part of the exhibit) does not show this. The exaggerations of other renditions probably resulted from western artists' being confused by the unfamiliar style of Keyings hull, particularly the high 'wings' either side of the bow, typical of the Fuzhou style, and the similarly elevated bulwarks of the poop deck.
The actual sheerline of Fuzhou junks is not so extreme. Much of the confusion with respect to the Keying may come from reported bow and stern heights above the waterline that may have been for the tops of 'wings' and 'poop', not of the weather deck at bow and stern. The exaggerated measurements in most contemporary reports suggest it was the former, not the latter.
The Museum model unquestionably fits the accounts of Keyings sea-keeping qualities better than a model with the bizarrely exaggerated curvatures shown in other contemporary illustrations. Such curvature was unknown in similar vessels: the acutely distorted waterlines that would result when heeled would have rendered the vessel unmanageable.
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
official Qiying
Qiying
Qiying was a Manchu statesman during the Qing Dynasty.His name in Chinese means "brave man of about 60 or 70".-Background and early career:...
; the English name is based on Cantonese pronunciation) was a three-masted, 800-ton Foochow
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....
Chinese trading junk which sailed from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
around the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
between 1846 and 1848.
Keying had been purchased in August 1846 in secrecy by British businessmen in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, who defied a Chinese law prohibiting the sale of Chinese ships to foreigners. She was manned by 12 British and 30 Chinese sailors (the latter all Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
ese). She was commanded by Captain Charles Alfred Kellett
Charles Alfred Kellett
Charles Alfred Kellett was a British Master Mariner famous for having sailed the Chinese Junk Keying from China, around the Cape of Good Hope to the United States and England between 1846 and 1848.-Notes:...
, also British.
- Keying left Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in December 1846. - She rounded the Cape of Good HopeCape of Good HopeThe Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
in March 1847. - She stopped at St Helena in April 1847.
- She was in New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in July 1847. - She visited BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in November 1847. - She then arrived in Britain in April 1848.
American visit
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in July 1847, and was received with great fanfare.
The Chinese crew of Keying were understandably angry as they had signed on only for an eight-month voyage to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Batavia (now Jakarta)
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
. Twenty-six of them left Keying and returned to Canton on board the Candace, which sailed 6 October 1847.
Keying stayed several months in New York. 4,000 visitors a day paid 25 cents to board the ship and observe its design and crew.
P. T. Barnum
P. T. Barnum
Phineas Taylor Barnum was an American showman, businessman, scam artist and entertainer, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and for founding the circus that became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus....
had a copy of Keying built in Hoboken
Hoboken
Hoboken may refer to:*Hoboken, New Jersey, United States*Hoboken, Antwerp, a district of Antwerp, Belgium*Hoboken, Georgia, United States*Hoboken, Alabama, United States*"Hoboken", a song on Operation Ivy's 1988 album Hectic-See also:...
(Barnum claimed he had it towed from China), and exhibited it with a crew which may have included some of the Keying Chinese. However the Brooklyn Eagle
Brooklyn Eagle
The Brooklyn Daily Bulletin began publishing when the original Eagle folded in 1955. In 1996 it merged with a newly revived Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and now publishes a morning paper five days a week under the Brooklyn Daily Eagle name...
described Barnum's crew as as "one third white and two thirds negroes or mulattoes", so probably no real Keying crew were present.
Keying also moored in Boston on November 18, 1847, by the Charles River Bridge, according to the Boston Evening Transcript of 1847. She was visited by many people, with as many as four to five thousand on Thanksgiving Day.
British visit
Gudgeon
A gudgeon is a circular fitting, often made of metal, which is affixed to a surface. It allows for the pivoting of another fixture. It is generally used with a pintle, which is a pin which pivots in the hole in the gudgeon. As such, a gudgeon is a simple bearing.-Winged gudgeons:A winged gudgeon...
s or pintle
Pintle
A pintle is a pin or bolt, usually inserted into a gudgeon, which is used as part of a pivot or hinge.A pintle/gudgeon set is used in many spheres, for example: in sailing to hold the rudder onto the boat; in transportation a pincer-type device clamps through a lunette ring on the tongue of a...
s. During the repair of the rudder the second mate drowned.
Keying was fast, as was noted by the press:
- The Keying next visited Boston, whence she sailed direct for London on the 17th of February last, and arrived in St Aubin's Bay, JerseyJerseyJersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, on the 15th March, having performed the voyage, from land to land, in 21 days - a short period even for the American packet-shipPacket shipA "packet ship" was originally a vessel employed to carry post office mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. In sea transport, a packet service is a regular, scheduled service, carrying freight and passengers...
s. (Illustrated London News, 1848)
Keying reached Britain in March 1848, and a medal was made in honor of her arrival. The obverse of the medal gives the following account:
- The first junk that ever rounded the Cape of Good Hope, or appeared in British waters. Her dimensions are length 160ft. Depth of hold: 19ft. Burden: 800 tons Chinese measurement. Rudder 7½ tons, mainsail 9 tons. Mainmast 85ft long from deck. The ship is built of teak wood. She sailed from Hong Kong 6th December 1846, arrived in England 27th March 1848, 477 days from Canton. "Captain Kellet", commander.
- She proved herself an excellent sea-boat; and her powers of weathering a storm equal, if not surpass, those of vessels of British build. (Illustrated London News, 1848)
A multitude visited the ship, including Queen Victoria and other members of the Royal family.
The Illustrated London News of 29 July 1848 described the visits to the Keying as follows:
- The ROYAL CHINESE JUNK "KEYING" manned by a Chinese Crew. Visitors received by a Mandarin of rank and Chinese Artist of celebrity. Grand Saloon, gorgeously furnished in the most approved style of the Celestial Empire. Collection of Chinese Curiosities, &c. The "Keying" is now open for Exhibition, from Ten to six, in the East India Docks, adjoining the Railway and Steam-boat Pier, BlackwallBlackwall, LondonBlackwall is an area of the East End of London, situated in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on the north bank of the River Thames.The district around Blackwall Stairs was known as Blackwall by at least the 14th century. This presumably derives from the colour of the river wall, constructed in...
.—Admission, One Shilling.
- ADMISSION, ONE SHILLING.—During the limited period which the ROYAL CHINESE JUNK will remain in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the charge for admission will be reduced to One Shilling. This most interesting Exhibition, which has been justly called "the greatest novelty in EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
," has been visited by her Majesty the Queen, all the Royal Family, and an immense number of persons, including nearly all the nobility and foreigners of distinction in London. Junk Tickets, including fare and admission, are issued by the Blackwall and Eastern Counties Railways. Omnibuses direct, and conveyance also by Steam-boat from all the Piers between Westminster and WoolwichWoolwich Arsenal PierWoolwich Arsenal Pier, also known as the Royal Arsenal Pier, Woolwich, is a pier on the River Thames, at Woolwich in the London Borough of Greenwich, UK...
; fare 4d. Catalogues obtainable only on board, price 6d.
The Times also reported Keyings visit:
- There is not a more interesting Exhibition in the vicinity of London than the Chinese Junk: one step across the entrance, and you are in the Chinese world; you have quitted the Thames for the vicinity of Canton.
The Keying was towed from London to the river Mersey
Mersey
Mersey may refer to:* River Mersey, in northwest England* Mersea Island, off the coast of Essex in England * Mersey River in the Australian state* Electoral division of Mersey in the state of Tasmania, Australian...
by the steam tug Shannon, arriving 14 May 1853, and anchored off Rock Ferry
Rock Ferry
Rock Ferry is an area of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively it is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the county of Cheshire...
on the Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
shore. On 29 September 1853, Keying was preparing to leave for foreign ports in three weeks. But instead it was dismantled "for research" at the shipyard of Redhead, Harling, and Brown.
The Plymouth and Devonport weekly journal for Thursday, 6 December 1855 reported
- The Chinese junk once a most popular attractive exhibition, is now rotting neglected and uncared for on the shore at Tranmere Ferry opposite Liverpool.
Precedents
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
monk and cartographer Fra Mauro
Fra Mauro
Fra Mauro, O.S.B. Cam., was a 15th-century Camaldolese monk who lived in the Republic of Venice. He was a monk of the Monastery of St. Michael, located on the island of Murano in the Venetian Lagoon. It was there that he maintained a cartography workshop.In his youth, Mauro had traveled...
describes in his 1457 Fra Mauro map
Fra Mauro map
The Fra Mauro map, "considered the greatest memorial of medieval cartography" according to Roberto Almagià, is a map made around 1450 by the Venetian monk Fra Mauro...
the travels of a huge "ship or junk from India" 2,000 miles (3,000 km) into the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
around 1420 (Original Italian "una naue ouer çoncho de India", lit. "A ship or junk of India"). It is unclear though which part of Asia this expression would refer to, as "India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
" was a general descriptor for Asia at that time. If it was a Chinese junk, then depending on what credence one places on the theories about the voyages of the ships of Admiral Zheng He
Zheng He
Zheng He , also known as Ma Sanbao and Hajji Mahmud Shamsuddin was a Hui-Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral, who commanded voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa, collectively referred to as the Voyages of Zheng He or Voyages of Cheng Ho from...
's squadrons, then that may be one explanation. Piero Falchetta
Piero Falchetta
Piero Falchetta is head of the department of ancient maps at the Biblioteca Marciana in Venice and a specialist of medieval travel writing, history of cartography and history of navigation. He currently lives in his native Venice. One of his most recent contribution to medieval cartography is a...
in his 2006 Fra Mauro World Map describes the passage as "The important note which in all probability refers to the voyages of Zheng Ho". Given the penetration of Arab mariners down the east coast of Africa, this might also be a voyaging vessel from the Indian Ocean trading 'circuit'.
Commemoration
A large-scale model of the Keying is on display since September 2005 in the new Hong Kong Maritime MuseumHong Kong Maritime Museum
Hong Kong Maritime Museum is a non-profit educational institution funded by Hong Kong's international shipping community and is located on the ground floor of Murray House in Stanley, Hong Kong....
, in Stanley, Hong Kong
Stanley, Hong Kong
Stanley is a town and a tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It located on a peninsula on the southeastern part of Hong Kong Island. It is east of Repulse Bay and west of Shek O, adjacent to Chung Hom Kok...
. This model was based on contemporary reports and images allied to a comprehensive analysis of traditional Fuzhou junk lines.
The model is thought by some to be incorrect: the shape of the hull lacks the great curvature which is clearly and consistently shown in some of the many contemporary illustrations of the original vessel. However, the Currier print made at the time (part of the exhibit) does not show this. The exaggerations of other renditions probably resulted from western artists' being confused by the unfamiliar style of Keyings hull, particularly the high 'wings' either side of the bow, typical of the Fuzhou style, and the similarly elevated bulwarks of the poop deck.
The actual sheerline of Fuzhou junks is not so extreme. Much of the confusion with respect to the Keying may come from reported bow and stern heights above the waterline that may have been for the tops of 'wings' and 'poop', not of the weather deck at bow and stern. The exaggerated measurements in most contemporary reports suggest it was the former, not the latter.
The Museum model unquestionably fits the accounts of Keyings sea-keeping qualities better than a model with the bizarrely exaggerated curvatures shown in other contemporary illustrations. Such curvature was unknown in similar vessels: the acutely distorted waterlines that would result when heeled would have rendered the vessel unmanageable.