(W.E.Talk) Zhang Li: Why was Wang Dayuan known as the "Marco Polo of the East"?

By Wu Pengquan, Jiang Tao from CNS

In the context of Chinese maritime history, the expeditions undertaken by Zheng He during the Ming Dynasty are often cited as a key example. It is less well known that as early as the Yuan Dynasty, Wang Dayuan, a folk navigator, who was known as the "Marco Polo of the East", sailed with merchant ships across the seas, with his journeys spanning dozens of countries and regions across Asia and Africa. Why Wang Dayuan is referred to as "the Marco Polo of the East"? What distinguishes his from Zheng He's voyages to the West? Zhang Li, an associate professor at Yuzhang Normal University accepted an exclusive interview with CNS's "W. E. Talk".

Here are the excerpts of the interview:

CNS: Wang Dayuan is known as the "Marco Polo of the East". What are the similarities between Wang Dayuan and Marco Polo?

Zhang Li: At the turn of winter and spring in 1330, Wang Dayuan, who was still very young, set sail from Quanzhou Port on a merchant ship, beginning his first seafaring trip along the ancient "Maritime Silk Road". The area he sailed to was as far as Arabia and Africa. The trip had taken him nearly 5 years until his returning to Quanzhou in 1334. In 1337, Wang Dayuan started his sailing journey from Quanzhou Port for the second time, focusing on the countries around the South China Sea Islands. After nearly 3 years, he returned to Quanzhou between the summer and autumn of 1339.

After returning from his long voyage, he put together the records of his two expeditions and wrote Daoyi Zhi (Records of Foreign Islands). In the winter of 1349, Wang Dayuan passed through Quanzhou, where Wu Jian (a Yuan Dynasty writer and historian) was ordered to compile Qingyuan Xuzhi. Quanzhou, as the seat of the Maritime Customs, had responsibility to record foreign affairs, so Daoyi Zhi was attached to Qingyuan Xuzhi. In the spring of 1350, Wang Dayuan returned to his hometown of Nanchang and reprinted Daoyi Zhi as standalone volumes, inviting Zhang Zhu (a Yuan Dynasty poet) to write a preface. Later, Daoyi Zhi was lost. Fortunately, an excerpted version titled Daoyi Zhi Lue (Brief Records of Foreign Islands) was preserved in the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) during the Qing Dynasty. Daoyi Zhi Lue follows the works of Zhou Qufei's Lingwai Daida (Notes from Lingwai) and Zhao Rushi's Zhufan Zhi (Records of Foreign Nations) from the Southern Song Dynasty and paved the way for later books of the Ming Dynasty, such as Ma Huan's Yingya Shenglan (The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores) and Fei Xin's Xingcha Shenglan (The Overall Survey on Boats). It drew attention from Western scholars early on and was translated into multiple languages, including English, French, and Japanese, for international research. In his book Traveling the World: Chinese Travel Culture, Wei Xiangdong, a professor at Soochow University, refers to Wang Dayuan as the "Marco Polo of the East."

In my opinion, Wang Dayuan and Marco Polo have the following things in common:

Firstly, Wang Dayuan and Marco Polo had similar family backgrounds, both were born into wealthy merchant families.

Secondly, the journeys of the two men took place in almost the same historical period. Decades after Marco Polo left China, Wang Dayuan set out on merchant ships from Quanzhou, the starting point of the ancient "Maritime Silk Road".

Thirdly, both seafarers completed their journeys by taking on boards of merchant ships.

Fourthly, they both recorded their impressions and experiences in a documentary style and compiled their travelogues into books upon their return.

Fifthly, both Wang Dayuan and Marco Polo's contributions to world history and geography have helped to develop human navigation and are highly regarded.

CNS: What sparked Wang Dayuan's ambition to explore overseas?

Zhang Li: Wang Dayuan,was born in 1311. As a young scholar, Wang was highly intelligent and well-read, with a particular fondness for Shi Ji. He was especially captivated by the Huozhi Liezhuan, which detailed the diverse geography, nature, and resources of northern and southern regions. Enthralled by such journey on books, he was full of yearning for the outside world. He collected various geographical works recording exotic stories, customs, and travelogues, holding a deep fascination for accounts of foreign lands.

Wang Dayuan's birthplace was a hub of water transportation and trading center. Although Wang's hometown was not by the coast, it was a place where mountains met the sea. The environment of constant external shipping provided Wang with a foundation of information about seafaring.

Upon reaching adulthood, Wang set out on a long journey, traveling up the Gan River to Quanzhou in Fujian. Quanzhou Port, historically known as "Citong Port", was thriving in maritime trade at the time, serving as the "number one port of the East", with traders from all over the world gathering there. In 1292, the famous Italian traveler Marco Polo, who set sail from Quanzhou, wrote: "We arrived in Citong City, such a grand city... Citong Port (Quanzhou Port) lies here, where all Indian ships carrying spices and valuable goods dock… with an incredible influx of trade goods, gems, and pearls." It was the bustling port scene that further ignited Wang Dayuan's curiosity and fueled his adventurous spirit, leading to his two major oceanic voyages in the years that followed.

CNS: How does Wang Dayuan's voyage differ from Zheng He's expeditions to the Western Seas?

Zhang Li: Unlike Zheng He's voyages, which were fully funded by the imperial court, Wang Dayuan's maritime ventures were achieved almost entirely through his own efforts, relying on merchant ships. His story predates Zheng He's by more than half a century as well.

Wang Dayuan had undertook two voyages, both of which involved his identity as a passenger on merchant vessels. He didn't hold any possession of his own ship or run his own business; instead, he relied on others' merchant ships to travel from one destination to the next. In essence, Wang Dayuan's voyages were undertakings of grassroots which entirely dependent on the commercial shipping routes of the time. That is what makes up the primary distinction between Wang Dayuan's voyages and Zheng He's expeditions.

Notably, Wang Dayuan's voyages recordingly served as a reference for Zheng He's expeditions. Ma Huan, an interpreter who accompanied Zheng He on multiple voyages, recorded his observations in Yingya Shenglan (The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores). In the preface, Ma Huan expressed that his travels with Zheng He to many nations allowed him to directly observe the climate, geography, and figures, thereby confirming the authenticity of Wang Dayuan's accounts in Daoyi Zhi. Ma Huan's field experiences validated the accuracy and reliability of Wang Dayuan's records.

CNS: What is the significance of Daoyi Zhi Lue in studying ancient trade and cultural exchanges between China and other countries?

Zhang Li: During his maritime travels, Wang Dayuan meticulously recorded the geography, customs, scenic sites, remarkable events, and trade goods of each place he visited.

The surviving Daoyi Zhi Lue consists of approximately 20,000 words, documenting over 220 names of countries and places. Some of these names appear for the first time, and a few are mentioned even solely in this text. These detailed records hold significant historical and scientific value in the fields of history, geography, culture, and international trade, serving as a valuable source for scholars exploring the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

Daoyi Zhi Lue also records that Taiwan and the Penghu Islands were Chinese territory, noting that Taiwan was administratively under Penghu, and Penghu belonged to Jinjiang County, Quanzhou, with its salt taxes and levies collected by Jinjiang County. This fills a gap in Zheng He's accounts and also stands as one of China's earliest records of Taiwan before the 17th century.

CNS: What relevance does studying Wang Dayuan's voyages have today?

Zhang Li: Inspiring empathy can facilitate emotional interactions between nations, a viable approach for effective international communication today. Based on the shared human fascination with maritime exploration, taking Wang Dayuan, a folk navigator as a label of emotional connection to optimize international communication, it is possible to offer "chances for empathy" for global audiences to better understand the legacy of oceanic civilizations.

Zhang Li is an associate professor at Yuzhang Normal University, director of the Department of Journalism at the School of Culture and Tourism, a researcher at the International Communication Research Center of Jiangxi Universities, and a member of the Jiangxi Culture and Tourism Research and Promotion Association. She has published more than 10 academic papers, participated in the completion of one National Social Science Fund project, presided over or participated in the completion of more than 10 provincial and municipal projects, and obtained one provincial think tank research achievement.