A scene from the historical documentary, Zhou Qiyuan, which premiered in the China Central Television last Sunday night [Photo/Xinhua]

A historical documentary featuring the life of Zhou Qiyuan, an official of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), premiered on China Central Television last Sunday night.

Born and bred in Houjing, a village in Haichang district of Xiamen, Fujian province, Zhou is a pioneer in promoting marine civilization development in the mid-late period of the dynasty.

During his tenure, he rolled out an array of policies to support sea route exploration and to boost marine trade, and witnessed one of the peak periods of marine economy in ancient China.

From 1567 to 1644, the Moon Port or Yue Port, located in the southern part of Fujian, was the only officially recognized seaport for foreign trade. It handled more than 80 percent of the country’s foreign trade then, accounting for 64 percent of tax revenue of the whole province.

It was also an important stop on the Maritime Silk Road, which connects China to Southeast Asia, the Indonesian archipelago, the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian peninsula, Somalia and all the way to Egypt and finally Europe.

The Haichang district was an important part of the port at that time.

According to Yang Guangzhao, the director, the documentary is designed to recall the glorious history of the Moon Port as well as the great marine pioneering spirits.

Currently, China is pushing forward the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and the documentary's broadcast is meant to demonstrate the nation's cultural confidence and play an active role in the building of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, said Cao Fang, deputy Party chief of Haichang district in Xiamen.