Gang Si (cargo manager)

Gao Gang Si (cargo manager surnamed Gao)

In Song dynasty, tea drinking was prevalent, and large amounts of tea were produced; the taxation, trading, and export of tea were significant sources of revenue for the dynasty. With large quantities of cargo requiring transportation, how did the imperial court manage and ensure its safety during transportation? Song dynasty followed the “group cargo transportation” method practised in the previous Tang dynasty, i.e. “ten ships forming a group of cargo transports, escorted by an armed force”. In effect, troops escorted groups of cargo transports in batches and by stages. In case any ship met danger during transportation, the ships following behind would be notified immediately, thereby reducing transportation risks and minimising loss. In addition to tea, other valuable goods like salt and silver were also transported using this method. In the story of “Wu Yong’s Seizure of Shengchen Grouped Cargo by Trickery” in the novel “The Water Margin”, “Shengchen Grouped Cargo” refers to the shipment, with armed escort, of birthday gifts to the Grand Preceptor Cai by special convoy. The characters “gang” (meaning “grouped cargo transports”) and “gang si” (meaning “cargo manager”), written in ink on the porcelain pieces on display in the exhibition entitled, “Treasures from Sacred Hill”, suggest that these ceramic pieces might have been transported as part of a group of cargo, with the officers in charge of the group of cargo transports clearly indicated.

 (English)