South China Sea Junks

Timeline

1. c. 1300–1340Quanzhou · FujianIn the Yuan dynasty Quanzhou was a major overseas trade port; fuchuan built of fir with multiple sail rigs and watertight bulkheads could carry hundreds of tons of cargo on long voyages to Champa and Java, with ship technology reaching maturity.
2. 1351–1360Strait of Malacca · Malay PeninsulaIn the late Yuan, South China Sea ports still sent out junk fleets, taking the northeast monsoon south with porcelain and silk, transshipping via Sumatran and Malay Peninsula ports to India and Arab ports; merchant ships crowded the South China Sea routes.
3. c. 1368–1380Zhangzhou · FujianAfter the founding of the Ming, maritime prohibition was gradually imposed, officially restricting private overseas trade and suppressing private junk commerce, though smuggling and Southeast Asian Chinese communities still secretly used the ship type.