海上丝绸之路是一条陶瓷之路、丝绸之路、香料之路、茶叶之路，涵盖了中国的港口史、造船史、航海史、海外贸易史、移民史、宗教史、国家关系史、中外科技文化交流史等诸多具体内容，涉及亚洲、欧洲、非洲、美洲和大洋洲。本书详细介绍了海上丝绸之路的开辟和拓展，见证了中外经济、文化交流的悠久历史。（The Old Silk Road on the Sea was named officially in 1967. In the 1990s, the UNESCO organized a survey of the Old Silk Road on the Sea. As a matter of fact, it was a road of ceramics, silk, perfume and tea, covering many fields such as Chinese history of ports, shipbuilding, sea navigation, overseas trade, migration, religion, international relations, and Sino-foreign exchange of science, technology and culture. The road linked Asia, Europe, Africa, America and Oceania. This book gives a detailed coverage of its opening and extension, which witnessed the long history of Sino-foreign economic and cultural exchanges.The Convergence of Early Sea Lanes of the East and the WestMaritime Civilizations in the Far EastFrom the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean:Contributons to Navigation by Greeks,Phoenicians and RomansArcheological Findings from the South Yue KingdomVoyages of Han Dynasty Envoys to the South China SeaCountries that Have Overseas Contact with China between the 3rd to 6th CenturiesPersian Artifaces and Silver Coins Unearthed from Suizi and Other PlacesThe"China Impression"in the Minds of RomansPromulgation of Buddhism and the Western Pilgrimage of Monk FaxianFrom the Pearl River to the Persian Gulf:"Maritime Passage from Guangzhou the Foreign Lands"Voyages of Official Chinese Envoys to the South China SeaSuperintendents of Maritime Trade in the Tang Dynasty"The Maritime Passage from Guangzhou to Foreign Conuntries"Baghdad and Guangzhou:Two Major International Commercial CentersTang Dynasty Silk and CeramicsJapanese Envoys to the Tan DynastyHigh Monks that Traveled the Seas in Search of EnlightenmentMajor Discoveries of the Sunken Ship at IntanThe Management of Maritime Trade in the Song and Yuan Empires......A New Age of Maritime Trade for the WorldEndnotes）