Maritime Silk Road

Timeline

1. c. 200–400Jiaozhou–Rinan–Linyi route · JiaozhouFrom the Eastern Han through the Wei and Jin periods, Chinese merchant ships sailed from Jiaozhou and Rinan, trading with South Seas ports such as Linyi and Funan, exporting silk and ironware and importing ivory, rhinoceros horn, and spices, forming an early South China Sea trade circle.
2. c. 400–589Funan–Chenla–Linyi port chain · IndochinaIndianized kingdoms Funan and Chenla controlled ports on the lower Mekong and the northern end of the Malay Peninsula, becoming entrepôts for Chinese and Indian goods; Buddhist monks and merchants traveled on the same ships, promoting the spread of religion and crafts.
3. c. 600–700Srivijaya–Guangzhou–Jiaozhou triangular route · Strait of MalaccaSrivijaya controlled the Sunda and Malacca Straits, and Tang envoys and the monk Yijing traveled by sea between China and India; Guangzhou and Jiaozhou became distribution ports for northern goods, and the Maritime Silk Road stood on the eve of its institutionalized golden age.