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Maritime Silk Road

Type Object Region East Asia Time 200

The Maritime Silk Road is an ocean trade network linking East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Arab world, and East Africa, centered on seaborne…

Timeline

  1. c. 200–600Jiaozhou (present-day northern Vietnam) · VietnamFrom the Han dynasty Chinese merchant ships sailed the South China Sea to the Indian peninsula and Ceylon, forming an early ocean route that traded silk and lacquerware for spices and gems, laying the foundation of maritime trade.
  2. c. 600–1200Guangzhou · GuangdongThe Tang established the Maritime Trade Supervisorate in Guangzhou, and by the Song Quanzhou became one of the world's largest ports; Arab and Persian merchants were active on the Indian Ocean–South China Sea routes, and porcelain exports reached unprecedented scale.
  3. c. 1271–1368Quanzhou · FujianThe Yuan encouraged overseas trade; in the 1320s Quanzhou was still a gathering place for Eastern and Western merchant ships, linking China, Southeast Asia, India, and East Africa, complementing the overland postal relay system.
  4. c. 1400–1800Strait of Malacca · Strait of MalaccaAfter European colonial powers entered the Indian Ocean, parts of the traditional Maritime Silk Road were absorbed into colonial trade networks, and chokepoints like the Malacca Strait became shipping hubs contested by multiple powers.

Sources