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200 BCE
200BCE - First Indication of Contact
There are indications that Euthydemus led expeditions as far as Kashgar in Xinjiang, possibly leading to the first known contact between China and the West. The Greek historian Strabo writes that "they extended their empire even as far as the Seres (China) and the Phryni" (Strabo XI.XI.I). -
54 BCE
54BCE - Roman Soldiers in China
According to Pliny, after the loss at the battle of Carrhae, 10,000 Roman prisoners were displaced by the Parthians. The Chinese documented (by Bau Gau) that some of these soldiers were enlisted by the Hun chief Jzh Jzh against the Chinese Han Dynasty. Some of them were blond with blue eyes, and fought in "fish-scale formation" (possibly the Roman testudo formation). -
27 BCE
27BCE-14BCE Chinese Envoys Visits' described in Rome
The Roman historian Florus describes the visits of many envoys, included Seres (most likely the Chinese), to the first Roman Emperor Augustus, who reigned between 27 BCE and 14 CE -
2 BCE
2BCE - Indirect Relations with Trade
Sino-Roman relations started indirectly with the Silk Trade during the 2nd century BCE. -
97
97CE - Expeditions of Ban Chao and Gan Ying
General Ban Chao went as far west as the Caspian Sea and the Ukraine, reaching the territory of Parthia, where he also sent an envoy named Gan Ying to Rome. Gan Ying left a detailed account of western countries, although he only reached as far as Mesopotamia before being stopped by the Parthians. -
166
166CE - The Hou Hanshu recording of Roman Envoys
A route opened between Jiaozhi (modern day near Hanoi) most likely by the 1st century CE. Via ports on the coasts of India and Sri Lanka, it extended all the way to Roman-controlled ports in Egypt. The Hou Hanshu records that a delegation of Roman envoys arrived in China by this maritime route in 166 CE -
166
166CE - First Roman Embassy
The first embassy of Romans to China came to Emperor Huan of Han China, from Antun (Emperor Antoninus Pius), king of Daqin (Rome) or Marcus Aurelius. -
599
643CE - Byzantine Empire Relations with China
The Chinese Old Book of Tang and New Book of Tang mention several embassies made by Fu lin (Byzantium), which they equated with Daqin (Roman Empire), beginning in 643 with an embassy sent by Constans II Pogonatos to Emperor Taizong of Tang, bearing gifts like red glass. -
Oct 25, 1081
1081CE - Diplomatic Mission sent during Song Dynasty
From Chinese records it is known that Michael VII Doukas of Fu lin dispatched a diplomatic mission to China's Song dynasty that arrived in 1081, during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of Song. -
Oct 25, 1294
1294 CE - Franciscan Missionary in China
John of Montecorvino; a Franciscan missionary, traveller and statesman, founded one of the earliest Roman Catholic missions in China, and archbishop of Peking, and Patriarch of the Orient. -
Oct 25, 1300
1300 CE - Travels of Marco Polo
Marco Polo, a merchant from Venice, describes his travels to Yuan-dynasty China along with the journeys made by Niccolò and Maffeo Polo, his father and uncle, in his Travels of Marco Polo. -
Oct 25, 1340
1340 CE - Guidebook on China
Francesco Balducci Pegolotti, a merchant from Florence, compiled a guide about trade in China, which he called Cathay. He also noted the size of modern day Beijing and how merchants could exchange silver for Chinese paper money which could then be used to buy silk. -
Oct 26, 1342
1342 CE - Envoys to Peking sent by Pope Benedict XII
Giovanni de' Marignolli, one of four chief envoys sent by Pope Benedict XII to Peking. -
May 1, 1513
1513 CE - Jorge Álvares; The Age of Discovery
Álvares set foot on Chinese soil on an island near Guangzhou in May 1513. The Portuguese called the island Tamão, and is thought of today as Lantau Island or Lintin Island. -
Oct 25, 1516
1516 CE - Rafael Perestrello; Trade Mission to Guangzhou
Rafael Perestrello is best known for leading a Portuguese trade mission to Canton (Guangzhou), under the Ming Dynasty. -
Oct 26, 1517
1517 CE - Fernão Pires de Andrade; Commercial and Diplomatic Contact with China
Fernão Pires de Andrade, a Portuguese merchant, establishes a modern trading contact with the Chinese at the Zhujiang (Pearl River) and then in Canton (Guangzhou). -
Oct 26, 1556
1556 CE - Gaspar da Cruz; First Modern Missionary in China
Gaspar da Cruz is the first modern missionary to go in China. After travelling to Guangzhou in 1556, he wrote the first complete book on China and the Ming Dynasty. The book included information on its geography, architecture, craftsmanship, religious/social customs, and many more. -
1601 CE - Matteo Ricci; Founding Figures of Jesuit China Missions
The Italian Jesuit priest and missionary Matteo Ricci reaches Macau and in 1601 becomes the first European to be invited into the Ming imperial palace in Beijing, through the interest of the Wanli Emperor who wanted his services in astronomy. -
1602 CE - First World Map in Chinese; Matteo Ricci
In 1602 Matteo Ricci and his Chinese translator Li Zhizao published the first world map in Chinese; the Kunyu Wanguo Quantu, which aided greatly in expanding knowledge of global geography.
