This is the South China Sea—a magical and beautiful expanse of water. It holds a strategic location, busy shipping lanes, and rich resources. But these very gifts have also drawn clamor and disputes. Yet no noise can drown out the waves—waves that echo the past and resonate with the future.
The waves tell us: This is where Chinese civilization embraced the sea and thrived. For millennia, tides have witnessed Chinese people living with the ocean and harvesting its bounty. The ancient Genglu Bu (Book of Ship’s Routing) records our ancestors’ seafaring wisdom—proof that Chinese people discovered, named, developed, and utilized the South China Sea islands. From the navigation of the Qin and Han dynasties, to later administration and patrols through dynastic changes, China’s governance of this sea has never ceased.
The waves tell us: This sea carries a thousand years of East-West exchanges and mutual learning. As early as the Han and Tang dynasties, trade flourished along these routes. Ships laden with silk, spices, porcelain, and gems sailed toward the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, and beyond. Trade drove cultural exchanges, spread technologies, and blended ideas. The waves witnessed not conquest or confrontation, but mutual benefit and friendship.
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