From Ma-i to Quanzhou: the ancient maritime trade that still shapes Philippines-China relations

By tsammailer | August 16, 2026 | Fujian Silkroad
Photo-op in front of the marker that reads: The Maritime Trade Office (Shibosi) was an official government institution responsible for managing overseas trade in ancient China. The Quanzhou Maritime Trade Office was established in the second year of the Yuanyou era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1087) and remained in operation until the eighth year of the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty (1472). It witnessed the height of Quanzhou’s overseas maritime connections during the Song and Yuan dynasties. Every year, it held ceremonies and rituals to pray for favorable winds and hosted banquets to entertain foreign merchants.
Photo-op in front of the marker that reads: The Maritime Trade Office (Shibosi) was an official government institution responsible for managing overseas trade in ancient China. The Quanzhou Maritime Trade Office was established in the second year of the Yuanyou era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1087) and remained in operation until the eighth year of the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty (1472). It witnessed the height of Quanzhou’s overseas maritime connections during the Song and Yuan dynasties. Every year, it held ceremonies and rituals to pray for favorable winds and hosted banquets to entertain foreign merchants.

There are moments when history stops being something written in books and becomes something that can be touched. During my recent visit to Quanzhou in Fujian province, I stood beside the remains of the ancient Maritime Trade Office, or 市舶司 (shibosi)—an institution established by the Song Dynasty (960AD – 1279AD) to regulate and facilitate overseas commerce. In front of me stood old stone waterways and remnants of an area that once faced travellers and traders with extraordinary confidence. A weathered marker identified the site as the “Site of the Maritime Trade Office.” Another described Quanzhou as an “Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China.” Nearby, another marker proclaimed the city a “Culture City of East Asia” and “Starting point of Maritime Silk Road.”