Song Sea Grain Transport and Trade Vessels

Timeline

1. 1041–1045Sea route from Jianghuai to the capital · East ChinaWhen canal grain transport was obstructed, the Northern Song attempted to ship grain north by sea from the Jianghuai coast to near the capital, with maritime trade offices managing sea ship dispatch. Though sea grain transport never became the main channel, it spurred construction of large grain ships and coastal port facilities.
2. 1041–1050Coastal shipyards of Fujian and Guangdong · FujianShipyards in Quanzhou, Fujian and Guangzhou, Guangdong built large sharp-bottomed, multi-masted sea ships using watertight bulkheads and tung-oil hemp caulking; merchant ships carried silk, porcelain, and spices south to the Nanyang and east to Goryeo and Japan, forming an active coastal and ocean-going trade network.
3. c. 1045–1050Southeast coastal trade routes · Southeast AsiaShip pilots used a water-floating needle (compass) to determine course in overcast weather, combined with stellar and solar observation, allowing sea ships to maintain direction on offshore routes and extending the reachable range and sailing seasons of trade vessels.