沙 船 “sha chuan” is the generic name given to sea-going junks from Shanghai. The “Kiangsu Trader” is one of the oldest sea-going junks from Northern China (the other is the “Antung Trader”) and was used for trade at the Red Sea and East African ports before the Middle Ages. These junks were seen in Singapore as late as 1903.

The Kiangsu Trader is closely related to the Northern “Pechili Trader” (Bo Hai), the picturesque 大 鸡 船 “da ji chuan” (“big fowl boat”) from Shantung (Shandong), and 宁 波 商 船 “ning bo shang chuan” (“Ningpo Trader”). Similar designs have been found in caves at Ajunta, India and in old temples at Boro Bodoer in Java.

It measured L.O.A. (length overall) 85 feet, inclusive of 10 feet “stern galley”, with beam of 18’6” and from waterline to main deck is 8 feet. The largest of these vessels was up to 170 feet.

These junks were never painted and only sometimes coated with wood oil and had no carving or other decoration. In common with older Northern Chinese junks, there was no eye on the bow - one theory is that Arab traders in China may have influenced Southern Chinese shipwrights and owners with the Egyptian Eye of Horus, but had no influence on the older Northern junks.

A unique feature of the Kiangsu Trader was the five masts, two of which were offset to Port to allow for tiller and anchoring operation. The Port Foremast, Foremast and Port Mizzen were raked forwards, the Mainmast raked slightly aft, and the Mizzen vertical. Except for the Port Mizzen, all masts carried a light top mast with masthead devices on the Mainmast and Mizzen. Often the most expensive component on a junk was the masts - on the Kiangsu Trader masts were of sha-mu or Oregon Pine bound with iron at regular intervals. The masts were unstayed, set in tabernacles and could be raised and lowered by the crew.

Sail shape was square with brown sailcloth - earlier matted bamboo materials giving way to imported No.2 cotton sailcloth (which rotted when wet). It has been said that these unwieldy craft required considerable sail area and skill to drive them – the port mizzen only being set when tacking or in light winds.

This junk's origin probably was a flat bottomed riverine craft of the Yangtze estuaries - Northern ports are often shallow river beds. The Kiangsu Trader was considered as one of the two original Chinese junk designs, the other being the V hull of junks from Fujian. South of the Yangtze the coastline was more rocky with deeper draft ports; hence sea going Southern Chinese junk designs tended to have keels and lines closer to European vessels. Riverine junks tended to have high aspect square sail shapes with numerous battens for fine trimming in very light inland winds.

The extremely strong “bullet” shaped hull has a unique “turret” deck and cabin built on top of it - later Europeans would use turret designs to save on tonnage dues. Below decks the first and last compartments were normally “wet” with free flowing seawater. The hull was constructed of pinewood with a hardwood deadwood (acting as a slight keel) and fourteen watertight compartments. Starting from the rounding of the bow leading aft to the rounding of the stern, planks were laid athwartships.

Bow profile was the classic junk scrow bow 牛 头 船 “niu tou chuan” (“bulls head ship”) which does not limit forward motion even in rough seas. A “sea anchor” or drogue in the shape of a large chute made from bamboo was often strapped to a rear quarter.

The crew of 20 shared quarters below decks just forward of the Foresail, the rudder and in the deck cabin. All eating, cooking, rice storage and the junkmen’s patron saint 观 音 “Guan Yin”, the Goddess of Mercy, resided in the deck cabin. The helmsmen steered from the deck when the rudder was raised, and steered (with very limited forward view and a skylight for sail trim) from the comfort of the deck cabin when fully lowered. The helmsman could steer to a course using a compass (invented by the Chinese in 1112 A.D.). A simple kerosene navigation light was housed on the cabin roof. Aft of the stern was the 10-foot long “stern galley.”

The Kiangsu Trader’s normal passage was from Shanghai to Dandong (Antung), Yingkou (Newchwang), Yantai (Chefoo) and Qingtao (Tsingtao) lasting three weeks depending on weather, four times each year.

Junks are designed to be easily beached for repairs. The rudder (16.5 x 7 feet) rests on three open jawed wooden gudgeons inside the unique “false stern, and can be raised and lowered.” A well trimmed junk was self-sailing: Having set course by trimming of the sails, the rudder having been set slightly to weather helm, was raised and lowered for final trimming. The rudder provided both steering and to counter leeward drift. The mizzen sails also aided final trimming to within 5 degrees.


Research for this model has been from the works of G.R.G. Worcester, Ivon A. Donnelly, Valentin A. Sokoloff and Louis Audemard.

Click to view: a painting by Valentin A. Sokoloff; and a drawing by G.R.G Woscester