Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East (Vol. I: Champa; Vol. II: Suvarnadvipa) v2.c20.s2.21

v2.c20.s2.21

It is evident from these accounts that ships from India, Persia, Indo-China, and Malayasia were engaged in a brisk trade. The Chinese themselves seem to have taken but little share in it at the beginning. It was only in the seventh century that Chinese maritime enterprise began to manifest itself, and it was regarded as an unusually daring voyage of considerable length, when, in 607 A.D., the emperor sent a mission by sea to Siam (Chi-tu) to open commercial relations with it.² But there are reasons to believe that the sea-trade of the Hindus and Arabs with Malayasia and China had by this time assumed considerable importance.³ It is difficult to determine exactly what parts were taken by the Malaysian states in this trade. But that Sumatra, Java, and Malay Peninsula had a fair share in it is beyond dispute, and appears clearly from the routes followed by merchant vessels.