Perhaps many people are unaware that as early as the Western Han dynasty (206 BC to 25 AD) Chinese ships sailed as far as Sri Lanka. At the height of the Tang dynasty, 1,300 years ago, magnificent fleets loaded with silks, tea, and porcelain plied the seas of Southeast Asia, coming back with pearls, spices, and agate, yielding rich profits.
許多人可能不知道，中國船在西漢時就已航行到今天的斯里蘭卡，而距今一千三百年以前的唐朝中葉，滿載絲綢、茶葉、陶瓷的浩蕩船隊，就已在東南亞海域來來去去，回程載著珍珠、瑪瑙、香料等當地特產，獲利極豐。