A Short History of China and Southeast Asia

For the next century trade was intermittent, as reflected by the

greatly reduced number of missions from Southeast Asia. The final

blow came in 879 when Canton was sacked by Chinese rebels and

many foreign merchants were killed. By then the Tang was in terminal

decline. After 906 China was again divided with separate short-lived

‘dynasties’ in the north and south. Not until 960 was it reunited under

the Song.

The special case of Vietnam

Northern Vietnam in the form of the Chinese province of Jiao-zhi had

long been the interface between China and Southeast Asia. The

centre of Chinese power was at Long-bien. From there Chinese

Early relations

Malay trading vessel, bas-relief, Borobodur, Java, ninth century.

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