The Classic of the Sea Way

The Haidao Jing is a practical navigation manual compiled by an anonymous author during the Yuan dynasty. It was likely written around the height of both north-south grain transport and maritime shipping. The book focuses on routes departing from Jiangnan and traveling north by sea to Zhigu. It carefully marks the islands, shoals, hidden reefs, water depths, tides, and other conditions along the way, making it an important guide for sailors and officials overseeing grain transport at the time.

The book includes a section titled “Preparing for Contingencies,” which teaches readers how to anchor and shelter in fair winds, headwinds, or gales, and how to prevent water from collecting aboard and damaging the ship. It also contains a “Sea Routes” section, which describes dangers at sea and how to respond to them, step by step, advising navigators to observe the color of the tides and read the currents to avoid hazardous shoals. Other sections, including “Reading the Heavens,” “Reading the Clouds,” “Reading the Wind,” and “Reading the Sun,” use celestial phenomena, cloud formations, and the sun’s position to predict storms and determine a ship’s course. They reflect the wisdom of combining astronomy with experience in ancient navigation.

The Haidao Jing’s greatest strengths are its practical value and historical significance. It directly served the Yuan dynasty’s grain-transport operations, providing an authentic picture of the maritime environment and navigational practices of the time, while preserving important records of ancient China’s sea routes, shipbuilding technology, and weather observation. It is both a sailing guide and a unique historical archive, offering a glimpse into the full scope of ancient navigation and transport.