A joint issue by Portugal and China on 08 Nov. 2001.
Since time immemorial the art of boat and shipbuilding has been practiced virtually throughout the world. Beginning with the simplest solutions, it gradually developed up until the point at which it was possible to construct large vessels capable of handling inter-oceanic voyages. The types of material that were available in a given location, the greater or lesser weight of maritime life in each economy and society and the interest displayed by the holders of political power were essential elements in the perfecting of ever more complex technical processes such as those that gave rise to the ships which are portrayed in this issue.
Despite the geographical distance that separates them without any form of prior contacts in this field, the shipbuilding industry attained levels of excellence in both Portugal and China.
The three-masted latten rigged caravel is thought to have appeared towards the end of the 15th century. It evolved from smaller single-masted vessels that are known to have existed since the middle of the 12th century. From about 1440 onwards, large two-masted versions were used to reconnoiter the South Atlantic and discover the sailing conditions that prevailed there.
These were the vessels in which Bartolomeu Dias proved the existence of a maritime link between the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans in 1487-1488. The Quanzhou ship (discovered by archaeologist in 1974) which was larger that the Portuguese caravel, illustrates the Chinese ability to build sea-going vessels. – a capacity that became obvious during Admiral Zheng he’s seven voyages of exploration into the Chine Sea and the Indian Ocean, when the Chinese fleet ventured as far as Sofala on the east coast of Africa. These vessels thus symbolize the technological innovation displayed by two civilizations which seafaring was to bring into direct contact with each other at the beginning of the 16th century.
Portugal 2001 0.26 Euro sg?, scott?
China 2001 $80 sg?, scott?
Source: Copied from Portuguese Post web-site.