The Mongol Empire, which emerged from the desert grasslands, rapidly expanded outward and quickly spread its sphere of influence across most of Eurasia. Starting from the mid-13th century, a century after Kublai Khan ascended the throne, the Yuan Dynasty became the most powerful and prosperous country in the world at that time. This vast empire had an unprecedentedly vast territory, extending to many regions and crossing the vast agricultural and settled civilization areas of China. The rulers of the Yuan Empire discovered that another vast world was waiting for them to conquer, the blue ocean. China has a long coastline, vast sea areas, and a ring-shaped archipelago. At the same time, the complex and ever-changing land political and military landscape also made the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty pay special attention to maritime transportation. Through ocean navigation, maintaining maritime traffic, supporting maritime military operations, and conducting large-scale maritime trade, the Maritime Silk Road, composed of multiple maritime channels, has become unprecedentedly active, ushering in a golden age of navigation.
This is the southeastern coast of China. I don’t know when the fishermen here have often salvaged some broken porcelain. Where did these porcelain come from? People have turned their attention to the deep underwater world. Since the 1990s, archaeologists have made increasing discoveries in this area. In 2007, a double deck ship was salvaged in Guangdong.
Guangdong Maritime Silk Road Museum – Yangjiang City, Guangdong Province
This is a ship from the early Southern Song Dynasty, about 30 meters long and 10 meters wide. It is currently the largest well preserved Song Dynasty ship discovered. This is the famous Nanhai No.1, which is stored in the Guangdong Maritime Silk Road Museum, known as the Crystal Palace.
Captain of the South China Sea No.1 Archaeological Team – Sun Jian: As we know now, the sunken ship was mainly composed of porcelain, iron, and metal goods, including copper coins, which were also traditional types of goods in China’s foreign trade at that time.
In the South China Sea and surrounding waters, a large number of sunken ships and cultural relics continue to emerge. There are only 118 officially registered and salvaged sunken ship sites in Southeast Asian countries. The sea area where sunken ships were discovered was a necessary passage from the East China Sea and South China Sea to the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf in ancient China. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, there were already quite prosperous shipping routes here.
Huang Tiejian, Director of the Silk Road Museum on the South China Sea One: Upon visiting our museum, he can get up close to the rich historical and cultural information of the South China Sea One, including trade history, religious history, and maritime history. According to the judgment of archaeological experts, the number of sunken ships still sleeping in this sea area is even more astonishing. Their existence has drawn a map of the Maritime Silk Road hidden under the sea, and the geographical and historical coordinates they display guide people to re-examine the glorious years of the Maritime Silk Road.
The history of navigation is an important part of human civilization, and ancient China is known for creating a great agricultural civilization. Some people mistakenly believe that the Chinese people were not good at navigation or lacked the spirit of exploring the ocean. However, the fact is exactly the opposite. Until the 15th century, the Chinese people’s achievements in navigation and their pursuit of navigation have always been at the forefront of the world.
Zhejiang Natural History Museum, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province
Since ancient times, Chinese people have had the courage, wisdom, and dreams to explore the ocean. As early as the end of the Neolithic Age, Chinese ancestors had already sailed in canoes with the ocean currents. Generation after generation of coastal Chinese residents, using boats as cars and boats as horses, constantly explored the mysteries of the ocean and navigation technology.
Ukiyo-e Painting of Xu Fudu’s Sailboat in Japan
In 219 BC, Qin Shi Huang, who had completed the great cause of unification, arrived at Langya Port in the Yellow Sea. He ordered Xu Fu to lead a large number of ships and carried thousands of boys and girls on two separate voyages. Although this fleet eventually disappeared, the legend of their landing and settlement has been circulating in Japan and South Korea for thousands of years. A century later, Emperor Wu of Han, who was equally ambitious, once again launched large-scale ocean voyages and opened up a series of maritime channels that corresponded with the Land Silk Road, which is the Maritime Silk Road.
Professor Zhang Fan from Peking University: Chinese civilization is a civilization centered on land, agricultural civilization. It is different from the Western commercial civilization that values the ocean and is close to the ocean. However, this does not mean that it cannot develop commercial civilization or marine culture. It can also develop.
Richthofen, German geographer
The Silk Road was proposed by German geographer Richthofen. In the 1870s, Richthofen wanted to go to China, but due to the Taiping Rebellion, he was unable to dock by sea. Later, he traveled along the ancient route of transporting silk from the East to the distant West, which he called the Silk Road in his travelogue.
The vast ocean used to be a huge obstacle for people from all over the world to travel, but when people mastered certain shipbuilding and navigation skills, they discovered the convenience of the ocean. Maritime transportation is not far away, carrying more goods, and the cost is low. The maritime transportation routes from China to Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia, and even coastal countries in Africa are collectively referred to as the Maritime Silk Road. Through these waterways, ocean going fleets depart from China’s South China Sea, East China Sea, and even the Yellow Sea, heading towards the Pacific Ocean and entering the Indian Ocean. Before the 11th century, Chinese people had accumulated long-term experience and mastered the laws of monsoon, ocean, and tide, as well as astronomical navigation technology using the positioning of the sun, moon, and stars in their long navigation practice. In the 11th century, a significant invention was born in China, which made true ocean navigation possible, and this was the invention of the compass.
Honorary Director of Quanzhou Museum – Wang Lianmao: This is the compass. Over two thousand years ago, during the Warring States period in China, a type of Sinan was invented. After the invention of this compass in the Song Dynasty, his navigation technology underwent a revolutionary transformation, marking the end of primitive navigation and the beginning of the era of measurement navigation.
The application of the compass in navigation has completely put an end to the primitive era of relying mainly on experience, opened up a new era of human long-distance navigation and technological navigation, and become one of the major inventions affecting the process of human civilization. At the same time, the Chinese people’s mastery of astronomical navigation technology and hydrological and meteorological technology has also become more mature and perfect. Navigation reference books such as nautical charts and navigation guides are constantly published. With the active navigation activities, the Chinese people’s understanding of the world has greatly expanded, and they have an early sense of globalization.
Chinese Yuan envoy research association – Li Gong’an: After the Tang and Song dynasties, especially the Song dynasty, China entered the most prosperous, economically prosperous, and culturally developed era. Professor Zhang Fan from Peking University: During the Song Dynasty, especially the Southern Song Dynasty, the construction and trade of the Maritime Silk Road were relatively developed. Therefore, the Yuan Dynasty continued to promote this achievement.
Zhejiang Natural History Museum, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province
On the basis of the Song Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty achieved greater development in navigation technology and ocean going industry, with continuous innovation in shipbuilding technology. In the famous “Marco Polo’s Travels”, the Italian Marco Polo once detailed a shipbuilding technology invented by the Chinese people, which was called watertight compartments.
Honorary Director of Quanzhou Museum – Wang Lianmao: As for China’s trade ship, due to its watertight compartment, according to Marco Polo’s description, once a hole is broken, it should be quickly blocked and the goods moved to another compartment because it does not leak water. After draining the water, it should be repaired and not sunk when it docks.
The technology of watertight compartments was invented in the Tang Dynasty. After the development of the Song Dynasty, it had become very mature by the Yuan Dynasty, and the Yuan people had strong shipbuilding capabilities. The Yuan Dynasty ships used for long-distance navigation were a type of pointed bottomed sailboat, usually about thirty meters long, ten meters high, and eight meters wide, with a carrying capacity of over a hundred tons. The ship was equipped with iron anchors weighing hundreds of pounds and could withstand strong winds and waves. During this period, the ocean going fleet returned to Quanzhou from Jiaowa and sailed continuously for only 18 days, much shorter than during the Song Dynasty. All of this, combined with the strong interest of the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty in navigation, foreshadowed a prosperous era for the Maritime Silk Road. However, why did the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty, who originated from nomadic tribes on the grasslands, love maritime transportation so much. Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, attached great importance to maritime transportation and had practical political and military considerations. Kublai Khan competed for the throne with his younger brother Ali Buge, and had enemies with the empresses of the Chagatai and Wokuotai clans, leading to the division of the Mongol Empire and the obstruction of land transportation. The Yuan Dynasty urgently hoped to form a political alliance with overseas countries and regions through the Maritime Silk Road.
Qingming Riverside Map
However, for the grassland ethnic group accustomed to immediate warfare, overseas trade is still unfamiliar. How to quickly open up channels for overseas trade and expand the overseas political path of the Yuan Empire.
This is one of the largest production areas for fragrant products in Quanzhou, and these fragrant product factories belong to a large family here, the Pu family. The Pu family has a long history in Quanzhou. Since the Song Dynasty, they have been both merchants and officials in Quanzhou and have been engaged in long-distance shipping and spice trade. The Pu family is an Arab descendant who believes in Islam. Pu Shougeng of the Pu family served as the commander of Quanzhou during the Southern Song Dynasty, owning a large number of sea vessels and almost managing all of the long-distance shipping business and overseas trade such as spice trade.
In 1276, Emperor Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty received news that Pu Shougeng had surrendered to the Yuan army. Emperor Shizu was very pleased and immediately appointed Pu Shougeng to an important position. So, driven by the Pu family and the maritime family, the overseas trade of the Yuan Dynasty quickly developed.
Haiyan County Museum Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province
Li Gong’an, a member of the Chinese Yuan Dynasty Research Association: In the late Southern Song Dynasty, he served as a recruitment envoy in Fujian and Guangdong. In fact, he also served as a market ship and was in charge of overseas trade. At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, he surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty and handed over the original system of the Southern Song City Ship Bureau. This person can be said to be the pioneer and successor of the Yuan Dynasty’s overseas trade.
After the large-scale overseas trade opening of the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan was finally able to start his political activities overseas along this Maritime Silk Road, and one of the earliest peace envoys he sent was also Black Lost. Yihei Lost was a Buddhist who was familiar with the maritime navigation of Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. When Kublai Khan first established his presence in China, Yihei Lost was ordered to travel twice to the country of Borneo, which is now the southern part of the Indian Peninsula and the coast of Malabar, marking the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty’s oceanic activities. In order to cooperate with the military operations of the Yuan army in Southeast Asia, Black Lost also sent envoys to Champa (now part of central and southern Vietnam), Sinhala (now Sri Lanka) and other places. He carried out a series of peaceful diplomatic activities, expanding the influence of the Yuan dynasty in Southeast Asia.
In 1287, Yihei lost his way to the southeastern coast of India in the country of Mabal. The purpose of this mission was to obtain Buddhist bowls and relics. Yihei lost was ordered to sail five times and spent more than 20 years at sea, making contributions to the foreign exchanges of the Yuan Dynasty.
Professor Zhang Fan from Peking University: So by the time of Kublai Khan, there were no more conquerable areas on land, so he shifted his career more towards the sea and adopted a peaceful means to spread his national prestige. In this way, the scale of trade also expanded, and the places he went to may be more and farther away.
“The Collection of History” by Laszfeld
Kublai Khan’s efforts soon paid off, and through the Maritime Silk Road, he formed a political alliance with the Ili Khanate. The Ili Khanate, which is now located in Iran and Iraq, was founded by the founder of the Ili Khanate, Hulagu, who was another brother of Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan urgently hoped to receive Hulagu’s support to consolidate his rule. And Hulagu also needed Kublai Khan’s recognition very much. The two sides quickly formed a political and military alliance, and the Ili Khanate pledged allegiance to the Yuan court, with the return being the official coronation of the Yuan Emperor.
The communication between the Yuan Dynasty and the Ili Khanate was mainly carried out through the sea. This sea passage led to Quanzhou Port in China and Hulumus in the Persian Gulf, which is now the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran.
Quanzhou Overseas Transportation History Museum Quanzhou City, Fujian Province
In 1953, a stone tablet was unearthed at the Nanjiao Field in Quanzhou, which clearly recorded the entire process of a sea trip on this route during the Yuan Dynasty.
Honorary Director of Quanzhou Museum – Wang Lianmao: In the third year of Dade, which was 1299 AD, an envoy was ordered to meet King Hazan, the king of the Ili Khanate, and received many noble gifts from the king. After returning, he presented these things to the court and sent them to Beijing. After that, he returned to his hometown in Quanzhou, indicating that this person lived in Quanzhou.
In the Quanzhou Overseas Transportation History Museum, there are many tombstones that record the Yuan Dynasty’s exchanges with the Ili Khanate and other countries along the Maritime Silk Road. In the exchanges with the Ili Khanate, the Yuan Dynasty once sent an envoy who made special contributions to the exchanges between the two countries. According to the “History of the Yuan Dynasty”, this envoy was named Polo, a minister trained by Kublai Khan, with extensive knowledge. He was ordered to go on an envoy to the Ili Khanate, but never returned. He stayed in the country to hold important positions and was hailed as a leader of various countries around the world. During the reign of the Ili Khanate and the Zan Khan, Prime Minister Rast organized the compilation of the great world history work “The Collection of Histories”. Polo participated in this important cultural activity. “The Collection of Histories” is a comprehensive and unprecedented encyclopedia style historical work with a vast system. Part of the historical materials in “Mongolian History” have extremely high value, and part of the content in “Chinese History” is also very detailed, truthfully reproducing Iran’s profound understanding of Chinese history at that time.
Haiyan County City Model Haiyan County Museum
This is another ancient opera singing style, known as the Haiyan Opera, which is on par with Kunqu Opera and is known as one of the four major vocal styles by later generations. Haiyan Opera was born in Ganpu Port, Haiyan County, Zhejiang Province. Ganpu was one of the regions where Kublai Khan initially established seven shipping bureaus, with developed commerce and handicrafts. It was one of the famous international ports of the Yuan Dynasty, where merchants gathered and the southern and northern dialects blended together. The person who founded Haiyan Tune was Yang Zi from the famous sailing family of the Yang family in Ganpu.
Honorary Director of Haiyan County Museum – Zhu Yan: Yang Zi. His father’s name is Yang Fa. During the early Yuan Dynasty, Yang Fa was in charge of the Market Shipping Department of the Two Zhejiang Roads, which is equivalent to the current director of Zhejiang Customs. As for Yang Zi himself, he is also a pacification envoy from western Zhejiang. Therefore, his family is actually closely related to this maritime trade. In fact, Yang Zi himself is actually the founder of Haiyan Opera. He combined some traditions of Southern Opera at that time, and also absorbed some voices from Yuan Opera.
Haiyan Tune, with a gentle and graceful tone, is favored by literati. Haiyan teenagers often learn from their family traditions and are known for their ability to sing in Zhejiang. However, Yang Zi, the founder of Haiyan Tune, chose a more vigorous and intense life path for his youngest son Yang Shu.
This is Yang Shu’s coming of age ceremony. After the weak coronation, this sea salt youth will take on the responsibility and mission of this sailing family and embark on a dangerous sea journey once again. In 1301 AD, Yang Shu, a descendant of the Yang family who was only twenty years old, embarked on a government funded official ship to set sail. He shouldered an important mission entrusted by the Yuan court, welcomed envoys from the Ili Khanate, and represented the Yuan government in overseas trade. This was a significant journey. During the voyage, Yang Shu met with the envoy Nahuai sent by the Ili Khanate. The two formed a deep friendship during the journey. Yang Shu accompanied Nahuai to the Yuan Dynasty. After Nahuai completed his mission, Yang Shu was ordered to escort him back to Persia, successfully completing the diplomatic mission entrusted to him by the Yuan Dynasty, allowing the Yuan Dynasty to continue its contact with the Ili Khanate.
This famous navigator of the Yuan Dynasty fought against the wind and waves at sea for nearly ten years. When he returned to his homeland, he was already in his thirties. Yang Shu devoted his entire life to the maritime industry.
Chinese Yuan envoy research association – Li Gong’an: Before Kublai Khan, he was indeed very destructive. Killing people from Central Asia, West Asia, including the Hexi Corridor, and Eastern Europe was very common. However, starting from Kublai Khan, he arrived at a 180 degree angle and basically did not intervene. In this regard, to put it simply, he had a huge turning point in his thinking. He began to prioritize agriculture, not only agriculture but also commerce.
Mongolian Yuan Culture Museum, Xilinhot City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
Kublai Khan, who was accustomed to relying on military force to conquer the world and plunder wealth, had failed in military expansion in Central Asia, Southeast Asia and other regions, and instead began peaceful diplomacy. In fact, the Yuan Dynasty’s strong long-range capabilities and developed handicraft manufacturing industry ensured the sustained prosperity of this overseas trade, which was mainly based on peaceful diplomacy. The Yuan Dynasty’s navigation field was unprecedentedly extensive. In the Song Dynasty, there were over 60 countries and regions with trade relations with the Song Dynasty, and by the Yuan Dynasty, it had reached an astonishing 140, and there were a wide variety of commodity goods traveling along this path of peace.
More than 40 common crops in China now come from abroad, of which about half are imported through the Maritime Silk Road, such as carrots, pumpkins, onions, etc. In addition to crops, precious heavy commodities such as ivory, pearls, ginseng, musk, etc. are also imported into China through this road. The largest quantity is spices, medicinal herbs, cloth, etc. The goods exported by China through this channel are developed handicrafts and Chinese specialties, such as porcelain, silk, and tea. Along with these goods are ancient Chinese inventions and creations, such as the compass, gunpowder, papermaking, and movable type printing. In addition, they also include agricultural tools, traditional Chinese medicine classics, and so on. And advanced technologies such as mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and manufacturing techniques from various countries around the world, as well as literary technology, are constantly being imported into China. This mutual exchange between different civilizations has promoted the progress of human history and the development of social productivity. To this day, we still benefit from the cultural achievements produced by this mutual influence.
Chinese Yuan envoy research association – Li Gong’an: From the perspective of trade, this is very positive, and all participants in trade can achieve a win-win situation.
Quanzhou Port Quanzhou City, Fujian Province
This is today’s Quanzhou Port. The ancient Quanzhou was spread to various parts of the world through the travels of the Venetian Marco Polo. However, Marco Polo used another name to refer to it, Erythrina. Most historians believe that Erythrina was the true starting point of the Maritime Silk Road. For a long time, historians were debating whether Erythrina and Quanzhou were the same city.
Wang Lianmao: Why is it called Zaitong? Because in Arabic, Zaitong means olive tree. In fact, the origin of Zaitong is based on the fact that many prickly trees were planted in Quanzhou at that time, called Citong City. It is translated as Zaitong in the Quanzhou dialect of prickly trees. The earliest we can see the name Zaitung mentioned now is Marco Polo’s Travels.
Erythrina, a tall and upright tree with lush branches and leaves, blooms with bright red flowers resembling a string of ripe red chili peppers. At that time, this plant was quite common in Quanzhou, hence the name Erythrina Port. Quanzhou Port began to rise in the late Tang Dynasty. During the Northern Song Dynasty, the government established a Market Shipping Bureau here, and Quanzhou began to develop into a major port city. By the Southern Song Dynasty, a large number of aristocratic and wealthy families flocked from various places, and Quanzhou rapidly developed, known as Fuzhou.
Quanzhou became the largest trading port in the East at that time, with many ships from Asian and African countries and regions gathering in Quanzhou. Hundreds of large ships were often moored in the port, while small ships could not be counted. Merchants from Arab and Persian countries gathered here, and various spices and valuable goods were transported in large quantities, which then circulated to other parts of China. Overseas goods are transported from here to Hangzhou, and through the Grand Canal, they can directly reach the capital city of the Yuan Dynasty. A large number of Chinese merchants also set out from here, taking away bulk commodities such as blue and white porcelain and silk fabrics. After returning from overseas, many goods are also unloaded here. As the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road, Quanzhou reached its peak of prosperity during the Yuan Dynasty. The taxes paid by Quanzhou Port to the Yuan Dynasty government accounted for one fifty percent of the total revenue of the Yuan Dynasty treasury.
Chinese Yuan envoy research association – Li Gong’an: During the Kublai Khan era, the entire Yuan Dynasty was mostly open. Of course, there was also a period of official ships, which was a bit monopolistic, but it was quickly abolished. Basically, it adopted taxation and salary extraction, and free encouragement for trade. Whether it was recruiting overseas merchants or encouraging local merchants to trade overseas, it was open.
Jingdezhen International Trade Plaza, Jingdezhen City, Jiangxi Province
Some estimate that at least one-third of the enormous wealth brought to the source government by overseas trade is created by this seemingly ordinary daily necessities – porcelain. Porcelain is another ancient invention in China, which is more suitable for sea transportation than the gorgeous and gentle silk. Merchants match the size of porcelain and pack it tightly, so that a ship can carry a considerable amount of porcelain. In fact, porcelain has become the most important export commodity for China’s overseas trade. It is impossible to estimate how much porcelain has been exported during the trade on the Maritime Silk Road. Some even believe that the Maritime Silk Road should be renamed the Maritime Porcelain Road.
Professor Zhang Fan from Peking University: Some Chinese products, because they cannot be produced overseas or their manufacturing technology is not high, can only be imported from China. Therefore, these seemingly advanced things, when spread to regions, will produce a fashion effect, which is roughly equivalent to becoming a trend. Since this thing has already been used, more and more people hope to import it.
Cizhou Kiln Peacock Green Glazed Figure Pattern Plum Vase Guangdong Provincial Museum
Yuan blue and white porcelain is one of the most fascinating varieties in the history of ceramic technology. Today, a real Yuan blue and white porcelain is worth a lot of money. The expensive price of Yuan blue and white porcelain is not a phenomenon that only exists today. In fact, for a long time, porcelain has been a luxury item in many countries. Although porcelain is constantly transported to Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia and other places through the Maritime Silk Road, its price remains high. Porcelain manufacturing technology has actually been transmitted to West Asia through the Maritime Silk Road for a long time. However, apart from China, no country or region can produce porcelain that can rival Chinese porcelain. So, the Arabs began to provide some raw materials to China, hoping that the Chinese could fire the porcelain they needed.
Jiang Jianxin, Director of Jingdezhen Ceramic Art Museum: The cobalt material used in Yuan Qinghua comes from the Middle East region, known as the Iran region, which is a type of cobalt material with high iron and low molybdenum. This cobalt material is cobalt oxide, which turns blue after being fired at high temperatures. So it is to apply this cobalt material technology from the Middle East to this porcelain for decoration. The decoration is first like this: on the embryo that has not been fired, this cobalt material is used for painting. After the painting is completed, a layer of transparent glaze is applied, and then fired at a temperature of over 1300 degrees, and it is successful. So the source of his technology is actually a product formed through the exchange of Chinese and Western cultures.
Through ports such as Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Qingyuan, and Ganpu, the output of Yuan Dynasty porcelain exceeded that of any previous dynasty. In addition to traditional life porcelain, many exported porcelain were specially customized according to the different needs of overseas merchants. Large plates, bowls, pots, and jars specifically sold to Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia were adapted to the lifestyle and aesthetic habits of people in these regions. The continuous demand for porcelain promoted the production of porcelain in China’s coastal and surrounding areas, forming an ancient Chinese high-tech and artistic value-added luxury and daily necessities manufacturing industry. As a result, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, the hometown of ceramics in China, has become a world-renowned world famous city. The capital of porcelain.
Blue and white porcelain can be said to be a typical example of the integration and development of Chinese culture and foreign culture into a new Chinese culture. Today, it has become one of the irreplaceable cultural symbols of the Chinese nation.
Chinese Yuan envoy research association – Li Gong’an: Some of the things we export have a significant impact, especially on these two poles of the Silk Road. China has become a pole in the east of the Silk Road, and this pole is supported by economic prosperity. If your economy is not prosperous and you cannot transport things, then your Silk Road will still not prosper. Therefore, in this regard, it is connected to overseas trade, and China is an important foundation of this Silk Road.
West Lake, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province
Marco Polo Statue, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province
On the Maritime Silk Road. Not only were there official envoys and businessmen from China and various countries around the world, but also many international students, religious figures, travelers, explorers, and others who came to China during the Yuan Dynasty. In addition to Marco Polo from Italy, there were also famous foreign travelers who came to China.
In 1332, Ibn Battuta left his hometown of Tangier, Morocco and went east alone to seek his dreams. In 1342, he met the envoy of the last emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, Emperor Yuan Shun, in Delhi, India. Later, Ibn Battuta was ordered by the Sultan of Delhi to accompany the Yuan Dynasty envoys on their return visit to China. Ibn Battuta traveled to Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and other places in China. In his travelogue, Ibn Batuta described everything that left a deep impression on him, including China’s silver ingots and coins, the government issuing paper money institutions, the inspection system of ships going out to sea and returning to port by the city shipping agency, and so on. Ibn Batuta’s travelogue is a treasure trove for later generations to understand the history and culture of Eastern countries, including China, in the first half of the 14th century. The developed overseas trade and bustling international port cities such as Quanzhou and Guangzhou not only attract travelers, but also attract many foreign immigrants to live here. Temples of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Shiva, and Manichaeism are spread throughout every corner of the city.
Qingjing Temple, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province
People from Persia, Arabia, Syria, Türkiye, Central Asia, and even Europe have long slept here, leaving hundreds of headstones and epitaphs.
Professor Zhang Fan from Peking University: In terms of religious beliefs during the Yuan Dynasty, it was a relatively free and tolerant era. The entire Mongolian people had a relatively free attitude towards religious beliefs, and although they themselves may believe in one religion, they did not prohibit others from believing in other religions. In the Mongolian concept, he believed that all religions had the ability to communicate with heaven, so he believed that they should be respected and protected.
Today, many descendants of foreigners can be found in Quanzhou. The Ding family is descendants of Arab Muslims who get along well with the local Han people. This is the ancestral temple they built for their own family.
The 23rd generation of the Ding family – Ding Tongzhi: Our fourth generation ancestors came here to live in harmony with the Han people. They saw that the development of the Han people here was rapid, and they saw that the customs and habits of the Han people in various aspects would be influenced to a certain extent. What are the characteristics? He built this ancestral hall in a Hui shape to let our descendants know that our ancestors were all Hui people who believed in Islam, and it was only the Han people who created this memorial tablet. As Hui people, we did not have memorial tablets before, but in order to adapt to local customs and habits, we also built ancestral halls like others. After the construction of the ancestral hall, there is also a unique feature of the ancestral hall. It seems that our memorial tablet is red for Han Chinese people, and our memorial tablet is made green.
Like the Ding family, there are still many descendants of foreigners who have left their homeland and rooted themselves in China. They have fully integrated into this land and become new creatures growing here. The Maritime Silk Road is like a huge garden of life, in which different bloodlines continue and merge, giving birth to vibrant flowers of life again on this rich land in the East.
This is the southeastern part of Quanzhou, where there is a small fishing village called Xunpu Village. Xunpu was once one of the important ports at the starting point of the Quanzhou Maritime Silk Road. The people of Xunpu Village are descendants of ancient Arabs, and the women of Xunpu Village have a habit of wearing this unique headdress – hairpin wreath – before going out to work every day. Zanhua Wai is made by stringing seasonal flowers, and there must be two types of flowers, namely jasmine and jasmine. Jasmine and jasmine arrived in China through the Maritime Silk Road. The tradition of wearing flower wreaths has existed here for a long time, so when jasmine and jasmine flowers came here together, it became the hairpin wreath on women’s heads today.
Today, the beautiful Zanhuawei has become the most vibrant scenery in Quanzhou. It reminds people that there is a never-ending power that will continue. It is along this path of life that, starting from the Yuan Dynasty, some Chinese people have started to go out and explore various parts of the world, with dreams and expectations, seeking a new life. Some of them migrated overseas and got married and multiplied.
Chinese Yuan envoy research association – Li Gong’an: Our coastal border people are as important as our land immigrants. They explore, adventure, seek survival, wealth, and change their destiny overseas, which requires courage and adventure. Therefore, from this point of view, our ancestors, especially those along the coast, have made immeasurable contributions in China’s maritime industry and overseas exploration.
The Maritime Silk Road has greatly expanded the living space of many coastal Chinese people, gradually forming a tradition of immigrating overseas in Guangdong and Fujian areas of China. This tradition originated from the early days of the Maritime Silk Road, reached its peak in the Ming, Qing, and modern times, and has continued to this day. Many Chinese people have taken root overseas, transforming from a single person into a family, a big family.
In Singapore, the Leung family is such a big family. The five brothers of the Leung family are the third generation immigrants in Singapore. Their grandfather, Leung Yun zhi, came here alone from Guangdong and started by selling a bottle of wind oil. His son Liang Qingjing has sold wind oil to the entire Southeast Asia, India, and Arabia, and today, the five brothers of the Liang family have sold wind oil to more than 50 countries and regions around the world.
Liang Jiefu Pharmaceutical – Liang Wenchen: Windward oil is a household product. In this family background, you see, I have five brothers, among whom our products are also included.
This is a small secret in the history of the Liang family. When their father, Liang Qingjing, was in charge of designing advertisements for Windward Oil, he often used different images to design his five sons in advertisements. Far away from their homeland, the ancestors of the Liang family hope that their descendants can settle and develop here.
Zhang Songsheng, President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Singapore: Whether you go to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, or Cambodia, many successful local businessmen are actually of Chinese descent, which is the spirit of the entire Chinese business community at that time. He immigrated from China to this place, worked hard, and truly said that he was committed to that society, embraced that society, and said not to treat himself as a passerby, but that I had truly taken root here.
Chinese Yuan envoy research association – Li Gong’an: For the development of overseas and the exploration of the ocean industry, this should be considered as an important vision and path for the descendants of our Chinese nation. In this regard, we should inherit some of the pioneering experiences of our ancestors, continue to promote our overseas business, and continue to promote our open cause.
Republic of Singapore Federation of Malaysia Republic of Indonesia Republic of India Republic of Türkiye Republic of Iran Islamic Republic Republic of Italy
The Maritime Silk Road, which began with the trade of silk and porcelain, has a significance that goes far beyond these goods themselves. For thousands of years, it has connected the birthplaces of civilizations and cultures around the world, forming a maritime artery connecting Asia, Africa, Europe, and the United States. Through this artery, various civilizations come into contact, collide, and merge with each other. It has lasted longer than the Land Silk Road and covers a wider range of regions, becoming a huge force driving the progress of world civilization. The history of the Maritime Silk Road proves that with more opening up to the outside world and economic and cultural exchanges, countries become prosperous and strong. It can even be said that the Maritime Silk Road is the precursor to building a globalization that is truly not aimed at plundering and control in today’s world.
90 Seconds of History: Marco Polo’s Travels
In 1298, in a prison in Genoa, a Venetian merchant was telling his fellow inmates his travel story. The Venetian merchant was Marco Polo, and his story took place in China. In 1271, at the age of 17, Marco Polo followed his father and uncle to Asia. They passed through various parts of Persia, crossed the Pamir Plateau, and after passing through Kashgar, Ya’er Kan, Hutan, and other places, they began to cross the terrifying Lop Nur Desert. After more than three years, Marco Polo and his team finally reached the capital of the Yuan Dynasty. From then on, Marco Polo stayed in China for seventeen years, and his footprints spread throughout the country. Marco Polo brought him here. Everything I saw and heard was orally recounted to my fellow inmates, and so everyone in Genoa Prison began their distant journey to China with Marco Polo’s memories, And Rustichilo was the recorder and writer of this oral history, and the world-shaking Marco Polo’s Travels was born in a legendary way.
