During the Early Modern era, Asian maritime trade flourished as global trade networks connected East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean. Driven by high demand for silk, porcelain, spices, and silver, maritime commerce expanded rapidly under Ming and Qing tributary frameworks, private mercantile networks, and European chartered trading companies. Port cities became vibrant hubs of cross-cultural interaction, diplomacy, and economic exchange, establishing dynamic maritime corridors that linked Asia with European traders and global markets.
People
Birth Death Origin Age (Death)
1311
1371
1552
1556
1564
1591
1623
known
Timeline
Category
Element
Year
Maritime trade
1311
Birth of Wang Dayuan (Period: 1311 (exact month and day unknown), Location: Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, China)
1330
Records Regarding Chinese Residents in Temasek (Wang Dayuan)
Birth of Zheng He (Period: 1371 (exact month and day unknown), Location: Kunming City, Yunnan Province, China)
1380
Service Under Zhu Di, Prince of Yan
1381
Conquest of Yunnan by the Ming Dynasty
Conquest of Yunnan by Ming Forces and the Capture of Ma He
1399
Jingnan Campaign
1402
Granting of the Surname Zheng
1405
First Voyage to the Western Ocean
Foreign Expeditions and Naval Military Operations of the Ming Dynasty (Period: Period Centered Around 1405–1433, Location: Southeast Asia, South Asia, Coastal Indian Ocean, Coastal East Africa)
Participation in Zheng He's First to Seventh Great Voyages (Wang Jinghong, Period: 1405–1433, Location: Southeast Asia, South Asia, Indian Ocean, Coastal East Africa)
1407
Subjugation of Chen Zuyi
Second and Third Voyages to the Western Ocean
1410
Intervention in Conflicts Between Factions in Northern Sumatra
Military Conflict on Ceylon Island
1413
Fourth Voyage to the Western Ocean
1417
Fifth and Sixth Voyages to the Western Ocean
1424
Temporary Suspension of Maritime Expeditions (Zheng He)
1430
Eighth Voyage to the Sumatra Region and Legend of Shipwreck (Wang Jinghong, Period: Said to Be Early 1430s–Around 1434, but Details are Unknown, Location: Sea Area Towards Sumatra, Semarang on Java Island)
1431
Seventh Voyage to the Western Ocean
1434
Death of Wang Jinghong (Period: Around 1434 (various theories exist))
Burial in Semarang (Period: Said to Be After Around 1434, but Exact Period is Unknown, Location: Semarang (Present-day Central Java Province, Indonesia))
Death and Posthumous Honors Conferred by the Emperor
1872
Origin of the Tokyo Placename "Yaesu"
Unknown
Development of Overseas Trade and Maritime Transportation in the Yuan Dynasty (Period: Late 13th Century–First Half of the 14th Century, Location: Coastal China, South China Sea, Southeast Asia, Indian Ocean)
Documentation of Overseas Geography and Trade Information (Period: First Half of the 14th Century, Location: Southeast Asia, South Asia, Coastal Indian Ocean, East Africa, etc.)
Disturbances in Various Regions During the Late Yuan Dynasty (Period: First Half of the 14th Century–Around 1350, Location: Various Regions of China)
Military Tensions and Border Defense in the Late Ming Dynasty (Period: Late 16th Century–Early 17th Century, Location: Border Regions Such as Northern and Northeastern China)
Reception of Western Scientific Knowledge in the Ming Dynasty (Period: Late 16th Century–Early 17th Century, Location: Zhaoqing, Nanjing, Beijing, etc., China)
Participation in the Red Seal Ship Trade (Period: Early 17th Century–1620, Location: Japan, Various Regions in Southeast Asia)
Conflicts During the Ming-Qing Transition (Period: First Half of the 17th Century–Around 1683, Location: Various Regions of China, Especially Northern China Such as Beijing)
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