Changes

The first ''shìbósī'' was established at Guangzhou in the late tenth century, followed by additional ones in Ningbo and Hangzhou. Chinese merchants seeking official licenses for engaging in legal trade overseas were obliged to obtain such licenses from the ''shìbósī''. The ''shìbósī'' were supported by local taxes, and oversaw the formal registration of cargoes, ships, and sailors & traders.

The first ''shìbósī'' was established at Guangzhou in the late tenth century, followed by additional ones in Ningbo and Hangzhou. Chinese merchants seeking official licenses for engaging in legal trade overseas were obliged to obtain such licenses from the ''shìbósī''. The ''shìbósī'' were supported by local taxes, and oversaw the formal registration of cargoes, ships, and sailors & traders.

The Office in Quanzhou was relocated to [[Fuzhou]] in [[1470]].

The Office in Quanzhou was first established in [[1087]], as that port came to eclipse Guangzhou for a time. This office was closed and relocated to [[Fuzhou]] in [[1470]].

The ''shìbósī'' in Ningbo and Fuzhou were closed in [[1523]] after the [[Ningbo Incident]] (in which rival samurai clans engaged in a violent skirmish in the port of Ningbo), leaving that at Guangzhou the only official office through which trade could be legally licensed and authorized.

The ''shìbósī'' in Ningbo and Fuzhou were closed in [[1523]] after the [[Ningbo Incident]] (in which rival samurai clans engaged in a violent skirmish in the port of Ningbo), leaving that at Guangzhou the only official office through which trade could be legally licensed and authorized.