Recently,scholars have been participating in the discussion of Yale University’s 1841 Maritime Navigational Chart,being abbreviated as Yale Maritime Navigational Chart as follows. Discussion itself is good for the exchange of ideas,while controversy makes the resolution clearer. Yet because of different understanding of Yale Maritime Navigational Chart,the explanation seems to be lack of argument,mostly being personal speculation. For historians,there should be a more complete foundation of evidence for the argument. To make Yale Maritime Navigational Chart a meaningful material for historical research,it is an important project to have a correct interpretation of the terminologies used in the chart. I found a lot of Vietnamese geographical terms in Chinese characters in Yale Maritime Navigational Chart,such as Tu Khach(思客),Dao Lang(桃浪)、Han San(汉山)、Lang San(浪山),etc. So I think the ship took anchorage at Xich Kham/Phan Rang /Panduranga(赤走/藩郎/邦都郎/宾童龙)as an homeport. There were three routes in the chart:south to Cambodia and Siam,north to Fujian,and the third extended further to Shenyang(沈阳). Roughly before 1840,the shipping route changed to travel between Singapore and Shenyang.
Keywords: | Yale University’s 1841 Maritime Navigational Chart Vietnamese Geographical TermsPhan RangHomeport |