The Eastern Origin of the Age of Discovery: Yuegang and the Haicheng Trade System in the Wanli Chronicles
Let me ask you a question: Seventy years after Columbus “discovered” the New World, could ordinary Ming citizens legally sail overseas for business? The answer is no. Not only no — doing it without permission could get your head cut off. But there was one exception. Just one. In 1573, the Ming Empire quietly opened a door in Haicheng County, Zhangzhou. It wasn’t a big door. But where it led was Luzon, Manila, Mexico — the entire world. ...