Southern Sea Ports of the Han Empire: “Maritime Silk Road” Revisited

Speaker

Prof. Dr. Maxim Korolkov (University of Tübingen)

Date and Time

November 19, 2026, 4.15 pm - 5.45 pm

Venue

Schönberggasse 1, 8001 Zurich, Room SOF-E-17

Abstract

The Qin and Han conquest of Guangdong and Guangxi in the late third and second centuries BCE laid the foundation for a network of port towns along the northern rim of the South China Sea. Drawing on textual and archaeological evidence for urbanization and trade in the region, this talk examines the distinctive economic and cultural profile of these southern ports, their integration into the Chinese imperial economy, and their role in wider Afro-Eurasian exchanges in late antiquity.

Organization: Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies - Chinese Studies