Jorge Álvares
Encyclopedia
Jorge Álvares is credited as the first Portuguese
explorer to have reached China
and Hong Kong
. The Fundação Jorge Álvares (Jorge Álvares Foundation), founded by Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira
prior to the handover of Macau
, got its name from him also having reached there.
captain Rui de Brito Patalim in a junk
from Pegu. The expedition was accompanied by five other junks. Álvares himself was accompanied by two other Portuguese mariners.
Álvares made first contact on Asian soil in Guangdong
, Southern China
in May 1513. Upon landing, he raised a Padrão
from the king of Portugal
, where they landed on Lintin Island in the Pearl River
estuary
. Based on information from their captain, they were to hope to find trade. Soon after this, Afonso de Albuquerque
, the Viceroy of the Estado da India dispatched Rafael Perestrello
—a cousin of Christopher Columbus
— to seek trade relations with the Chinese. In a ship from Malacca, Rafael landed on the southern shores of Guangdong later that year in 1513, being the first to actually land on the coast of mainland China.
Álvares later joined the venture of establishing the settlements in Tuen Mun
, Hong Kong
around 1513 to 1514. This visit was followed by the establishment of a number of Portuguese trading centres in the area, which were eventually consolidated in Macau
. In 1517 the Portuguese settlers were in a battle with Imperial Chinese army troops in the region. There is a possibility that Álvares took part in the combat.
See also Fernão Pires de Andrade
and Rafael Perestrello
.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
explorer to have reached 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...
and 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...
. The Fundação Jorge Álvares (Jorge Álvares Foundation), founded by Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira
Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira
Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira was the last Governor of Macau.-Background:He is the son of João da Silva Vieira Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira (b. Lagoa, 16 August 1939) was the last Governor of Macau.-Background:He is the son of João da Silva Vieira Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira (b. Lagoa, 16 August 1939)...
prior to the handover of Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, got its name from him also having reached there.
Exploration
In May 1513 Álvares sailed under the Portuguese MalaccaPortuguese Malacca
Portuguese Malacca was the territory of Malacca that, for 130 years , was a Portuguese colony.- History :From the writing of the Portuguese historian Emanuel Godinho de Erédia in the middle of the 16th century, the site of the old city of Malacca was named after the Myrobalans, fruit-bearing trees...
captain Rui de Brito Patalim in a junk
Junk (ship)
A junk is an ancient Chinese sailing vessel design still in use today. Junks were developed during the Han Dynasty and were used as sea-going vessels as early as the 2nd century AD. They evolved in the later dynasties, and were used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages...
from Pegu. The expedition was accompanied by five other junks. Álvares himself was accompanied by two other Portuguese mariners.
Álvares made first contact on Asian soil in Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, Southern China
Northern and southern China
Northern China and southern China are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions has never been precisely defined...
in May 1513. Upon landing, he raised a Padrão
Padrão
A padrão was a large stone cross inscribed with the coat of arms of Portugal that was placed as part of a land claim by numerous Portuguese explorers during the Portuguese Age of Discovery...
from the king of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, where they landed on Lintin Island in the Pearl River
Pearl River (China)
The Pearl River or less commonly, the "Guangdong River" or "Canton River" etc., , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name Pearl River is usually used as a catchment term to refer to the watersheds of the Xi Jiang , the Bei Jiang , and the Dong Jiang...
estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
. Based on information from their captain, they were to hope to find trade. Soon after this, Afonso de Albuquerque
Afonso de Albuquerque
Afonso de Albuquerque[p][n] was a Portuguese fidalgo, or nobleman, an admiral whose military and administrative activities as second governor of Portuguese India conquered and established the Portuguese colonial empire in the Indian Ocean...
, the Viceroy of the Estado da India dispatched Rafael Perestrello
Rafael Perestrello
Rafael Perestrello was a Portuguese explorer and a cousin of Filipa Moniz Perestrello, the wife of the famed explorer Christopher Columbus...
—a cousin of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
— to seek trade relations with the Chinese. In a ship from Malacca, Rafael landed on the southern shores of Guangdong later that year in 1513, being the first to actually land on the coast of mainland China.
Álvares later joined the venture of establishing the settlements in Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun is a town near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in Hong Kong which can be dated back to the Neolithic period. In the more recent past, it was home to many Tanka fishermen who gathered at the Castle...
, 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...
around 1513 to 1514. This visit was followed by the establishment of a number of Portuguese trading centres in the area, which were eventually consolidated in Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
. In 1517 the Portuguese settlers were in a battle with Imperial Chinese army troops in the region. There is a possibility that Álvares took part in the combat.
See also Fernão Pires de Andrade
Fernão Pires de Andrade
Captain Fernão Pires de Andrade was a Portuguese merchant, pharmacist, and official diplomat under the explorer and Malacca governor Afonso de Albuquerque...
and Rafael Perestrello
Rafael Perestrello
Rafael Perestrello was a Portuguese explorer and a cousin of Filipa Moniz Perestrello, the wife of the famed explorer Christopher Columbus...
.
External links
- http://english.sohu.com/20050203/n224228767.shtml
- The Jorge Álvares Foundation