Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c13.46

v2.c13.46

A new feature in this period was the importance of the maritime route not only for commercial but also for political and diplomatic contacts between India and China. A majority of the 14 diplomatic missions despatched by the Yuan court to India visited the southern coastal ports. The Yuan envoy Yang Tianbi sailed to India four times between 1280 and 1283. His visits were followed by missions sent to China by the rulers of Kollam and Malabar. Apparently, there was a close connection between diplomacy and trade and between the envoys and merchants on both sides. Altogether, it can be said that in the Yuan period, active official sponsorship of commerce and an assertive foreign policy combined to expand the scope of interactions between coastal India and China.