A Study On Overseas Traders In Song Dynasty

As the main body of overseas trade activities,maritime merchants always actived in the sea during Song Dynasties,strengthening the ties between the Song and other countries through trade.As the main subject of Overseas trade activity,maritime merchants were very activity at sea during Song Dynasties,which strengthen the connection between Song and other countries.The backgrounds of Sea merchants’ activities in Song Dynasties are various,such as Song government’s encouragement and support,the development of social economy,the progress of people in navigation technology and knowledge on sea travel,and the influence of the Song Dynasty on the overseas.In the Song Dynasty,not only local merchants went to other countries to sell goods,but also foreign merchants traded frequently in the Song Dynasty.Multiple local maritime merchants came from Liang Guang areas,Zhejiang and Fujian,and the range of their activities once reached as far as East Africa.Foreign merchants who were from East Asia,Southeast Asia,and Arabia carried out trade activities at the coastal areas and political centers of the Song Dynasty.The composition of Chinese and foreign maritime traders is not exactly the same.Though both of them are mainly professional maritime traders,the origin background of local traders involved in Marine trade is more complex,the types of foreign traders are relatively simple.The trade activities of Chinese and foreign maritime merchants were influenced by their different values,which also reflected part of their ideological world and influence their behaviors.When facing the choice,the maritime merchants will take different choices between interests and families.Due to the sea routes are very risk,Chinese and foreign maritime traders generally believe in deities and pray for safe during voyage.Maritime merchants in Song Dynasty were generally based on various sea deities,which were mixed with the worship of Buddhism,while Foreign maritime merchants believed in Islam.In order to regulate merchants’ trade activities,the Court increased the number of Shi Bo Department at coastal areas.Shi Bo Department needed to inspect the merchants and their cargoes in Song,controlled the merchants’ immigration activities,extracted the procedures and bought them according to the rules.Because of the high profits of overseas trade,some maritime traders run the hazard to carry out illegal activities in various ways,tax evasion and smuggling issues can not be forbidden.The merchants faced marine perils and were vexed by officials in coastal areas.The Court took relative polices to support Overseas trade and pay more attention to deal with those questions.Both home and foreign maritime merchants trades promoted the exchanges of economic,political,and cultures between Song Dynasties and other countries.They also played an important role in social daily life.