The ancient people used sailboats for pearl exploration

The sail is kind of propelling tool, which pushes the ship forward by using natural wind power. Hailed as a milestone in shipbuilding history, the sail increased the ship's sailing speed by a large margin and greatly expanded the sailing areas, laying a solid foundation for the further development of shipbuilding technology and oceangoing navigation.

It is hard to tell when the sail came into existence in China, but most scholars believe the sail appeared as early as in the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century BC), assuming the character "凡" refers to the sail "帆." Besides, considering the advanced weaving technologies at that time could work out the earliest jacquards (fabric made from the Jacquard loom, a kind of mechanized device) in the world, it was possible to weave sails, with the proper materials.

Though employed on a wide scale in China later than in other foreign countries, Chinese sails, combined with the stern rudder, enabled Chinese sea boats to enter the oceans and take the lead in the world.

Author: Jessie