Quanzhou bloomed into a seaport under the reign of the Min Kingdom, and may have been the largest seaport in the Eastern hemisphere. In the earlyMing Dynasty(1368-1644), Quanzhou was the stationary and supply depot ofZheng He's naval expeditions.
Thanks to frequent exchanges with the outside world, Fujian formed a culture different from that of Central China, as some ofConfucius' ideas were not taken as seriously as in former as in the latter. Confucianism holds that while one's parents are alive one does not travel to distant places. But it did in no way stop native Fujian people from traveling around the world to make money.
The languages spoken in Fujian also show integration of foreign cultures and the local one. One can easily find words like stick, machine, and soap in Fujian dialects. The more important influence on the Fujian businesspeople lies in culture. The economic relationship tops all other relations including that of family members. They believe that in the business arena, father and son are just competitors, which can hardly be accepted by Confucianism for it strictly holds to filial piety.
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