Research on the Horse Trade along the Maritime Silk Road in the Song Dynasty — Beginning with the Inscribed Porcelain Bearing the Marks “Mahus”, “Gangma”, and “Mashe”

YU Yongjian

Through a comprehensive analysis of Fujian kiln porcelain inscribed with the marks “Mahus”, “Gangma”, and “Mashe”, recovered from shipwrecks such as the “Feiyu” and “Nanhai I”, as well as from sites in Indonesia and Vietnam, this paper reconstructs a long‑overlooked network of horse trade along the Maritime Silk Road in the Song Dynasty, one interwoven with both official and private participation. Drawing on historical documents, the study approaches the subject from two perspectives: the history of maritime technology and the history of the horse trade. It proposes three possible interpretive frameworks and constructs a model of a triangular trade cycle dominated by Fujian merchants. The findings suggest that these horse‑related inscriptions not only reveal the actual existence of maritime horse transport during the Song Dynasty and its complex operational mechanisms, but also offer new insights into the development of maritime technology, regional economic interactions, and the multifaceted nature of the Maritime Silk Road during this period. Furthermore, by incorporating references to the binding techniques of horse‑carrying vessels in the Indian Ocean as recorded in the Daoyi Zhilüe, the scale of the Guang horse trade and the origins of southwestern horses as documented in the Lingwai Daida, as well as studies on economic institutions such as monastic certificates and the Maritime Trade Superintendency in the Song Dynasty, this paper further substantiates the technical feasibility and institutional foundations of the maritime horse trade.