During the Yuan Dynasty, China achieved great unification and was one of the most vast, powerful and wealthy countries in the world at that time. Therefore, exchanges and political, economic and cultural ties with Asian, European and African countries have developed unprecedentedly, and envoys, businessmen, travelers and missionaries from various countries have come to China in an endless stream.

Compared with the previous generation, the maritime traffic and foreign trade in Yuan Dynasty developed greatly. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Yuan cracked down on the old system and set up a shipping company to manage overseas trade. In the 14th year of Yuan Dynasty (1277), Quanzhou, Qingyuan, Shanghai, Dunpu and other ports were established, and the municipal shipping department was established in these ports. In addition, the Yuan Dynasty also opened air routes from the Yangtze River estuary to Japan, North Korea and other places.