Hubungan antara Semenanjung Tanah Melayu dengan China Sejak Awal Abad Masihi

Information on the relationship between the states in the Malay Peninsula with China can be obtained from written sources from China and also data resulting from archaelogical research and excavations that have long been carried out. These written sources from China have mentioned about the states in the Malay Peninsula or have passed through the Malay Peninsula since 2000 years ago. Early references of the Malay Peninsula is contained in Chapter 28 of the Ch’ien han shu manuscript that was completed in the year 80AD. Locations such as Shen-li, Fu-kan-tu-lu, P’i-Tsung and Huang-Chih possibly referred to places located in the Malay Peninsula or Sumatera. Ch’ih Wu, the Emperor from the Wu Dynasty, had sent two envoys, namely K’ang T’ai and Zhu Ying to the Funan Government and this record is contained in Hikayat Liang that was written in the 3rd century AD. In this source too were many references of the early governments that existed in the Peninsula area, among them Tunsun, Pan-Pan, Langkasuka as well as Lin-Yi (Champa). Tan-tan of which its location is still debated is believed to be the location of Kelantan and has been recorded since 6th century AD in the records of Liang Shu. Based on the source of China’s Sources of Chih tu guo ji, a documentary was produced as a result of the visit of the Sui Government that sent an envoy in the year 607CE until 610AD to the Chih-Tu government that is believed to be located in Tanah Merah, Kelantan. The Buddhist pilgrim who had travelled through the areas of the Malay Peninsula is Fa Hsien who sailed from India to a place either in Borneo or Java and this journey occurred in the year 413 AD. In the year 671AD, another well known Buddhist monk, namely I-Ching, had stopped over at Kedah (Chieh-cha) and then continued to Nalanda India through the Bay of Bengal using a Malay ship.In the context of archaeological research and excavations, the relationship with China is associated with the trade relationship based on the discovery of archaeological artefacts found at archaeological sites particularly those that have been identified as ports, regardless of whether they were entreports or feeder ports. Among the artefacts linked to the trade relationship between the states in the Malay Peninsula and China are the Chinese ceramic finds that began since the age of the Ming Dynasty and continued later with the ceramics of Sung Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty and Ching Dynasty. Among the archaeological sites in the Malay Peninsula that led to the discovery of many Chinese ceramics are those at Bujang Valley, Kedah, Kelumpang Island, Perak, Tioman Island, Pahang, Takuapa, Pattani, Chaiya, Ligor in Thailand and Singapore. These sites function as ports or the centre of the early Malay governments that had good relationship with the international traders whether from India, Arab-Persia, China or Southeast Asia.