"We have received divers and sundry reports both by your own subjects and others, who have visited some parts of Your Majesty's empire ... This has encouraged us to find a shorter route by sea from us to your country than the usual course that involves encompassing the greatest part of the world."
The passage above is a modern-English rendering of an excerpt from a letter written in 1602 by Queen Elizabeth of England to the Wanli Emperor of China's Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), who reigned from 1572 to 1620. The letter was entrusted to George Waymouth, whom the queen had appointed as the principal pilot "for his knowledge and experience in navigation".
Chinese trade was key aspect of maritime strugglesBy Zhao Xu