The Taiwan Strait between the Twelfth and Sixteenth Centuries and the Maritime Route to Luzon.

The article focuses on the history of the Taiwan Strait for the period between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. The area was the sole trade route between Northeast and Southeast Asia during the period, serving an expanding maritime trade based between the Fujian province of China, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Topics considered include Chinese accounts of Taiwanese and Filipino island peoples, pearl diving, piracy, the Chinese ports of Guangzhou and Quanzhou, and Chinese efforts by both military and naval forces to control and protect trade from bandits, smuggling, and piracy.