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Yuan Dynasty Postal Relay Station System

Type Object Region Asia Time c. 1230–1368

The Yuan relay station system inherited the Mongol zhamchi network, linking Dadu with the provinces via land and water stations for official dispatch…

Timeline

  1. c. 1230–1260Yanjing · North ChinaMongol rulers combined the steppe zhamchi with the old post roads of the Central Plains, establishing station households to supply horses and conscript couriers, laying the foundation for a unified national relay network.
  2. 1280–1290Dadu · DaduDuring the Zhiyuan era, zhamchi regulations were promulgated, with land stations, water stations, and boat stations established, radiating from Dadu to each province; the Bureau of Transmission managed tallies and envoy dispatch, and the total relay road mileage reached tens of thousands of li.
  3. 1301–1310National relay roads · Yuan EmpireIn the 1300s, the relay stations handled routine dispatches and envoy travel between the center and the provinces; station households bore heavy service obligations but ensured passage for Eurasian overland merchants and tribute missions, serving as the empire's communication artery under Chengzong and Wuzong.
  4. 1350–1368Relay roads of the various provinces · ChinaWarfare led to the loss of relay horses and the flight of station households; overissuance of tallies and harsh corvée accelerated the system's collapse, and after the Yuan's fall the Ming rebuilt the relay system.

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