In addition to uncertain elements such as fierce storms on the sea, the underdeveloped shipmaking and seasailing technology in the Tang Dynasty helped to encourage the appearance of the phenomenon of “drifters”. The stories of drifters included in The Extensive Records of the Taiping Era was vivid and informative, involving extensive places, such as the prefectures of Dengzhou, Qingzhou, Haizhou, especially the prefecture of Dengzhou which took an outstanding place in exchanges between China and foreign countries. An investigative analysis of the stories of drifters reveals the current exchanges between the Tang Empire and the countries in northeastern Asia, such as Silla, Japan, Ezo and the Ryukyu Islands and those around South China Sea. With the increase of exchange between the Tang Dynasty and overseas nations, the Chinese bettered their understanding of peoples outside China.

the stories of drifters; The Extensive Records of the Taiping Era; maritime transportation in the Tang Dynasty; Chinese understanding of overseas nations in the Tang Dynasty; the problem of South China Sea