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Song-Yuan Maritime Trade System of the Maritime Trade Offices

Type Object Region China Time 971–1368

Song and Yuan maritime trade offices along the southeast coast managed overseas trade, duties, licenses, and foreign merchants, linking ports like Qu…

Timeline

  1. 971–1100Guangzhou–Quanzhou · GuangdongThe Northern Song set up maritime trade offices on the coast to handle overseas trade duties, official purchases, and foreign merchants; Guangzhou, Quanzhou, and Mingzhou became nodes of international trade, with court revenue and Jiangnan handicraft exports mutually reinforcing each other.
  2. c. 1127–1279Quanzhou–Lin'an · FujianThe Southern Song relied heavily on sea routes; Quanzhou rose to become the world's largest port, with Longquan celadon, Jian ware, and silk exported far to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean via maritime channels, while Arab and Persian merchants formed an international port society.
  3. 1271–1368Quanzhou–Qingyuan (Ningbo) · ZhejiangThe Yuan inherited and relaxed maritime trade policy, establishing Superintendencies of Maritime Trade; Quanzhou, Qingyuan, and other ports continued to flourish, with grain tribute and sea routes running in parallel, porcelain exports and silver inflows supporting imperial finances until late-Yuan warfare disrupted port order.

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