元朝航海家汪大淵先後於1330年和1337年兩次從泉州出海遊歷,1349年將其遊歷所見所聞出版《島夷志略》一書,該書記錄了他個人從泉州到澎湖、北臺灣到東非甚至地中海的航海經歷,堪稱是一部航海史上的重要著作。
這本書對沿途經過東南亞各國,因為是旅遊所記,對各國家及港口的地理位置、物產、風土民情,加上當地怪誕的傳說,都加以記錄,對沿途的奇風異俗之探究是很好的參考用書。
該書具眾多各國海洋史參考資料,至今尚無英文翻譯。陳鴻瑜教授將該書譯成英文,俾有助於東亞史及東西方文化研究與交流。
Wang Da-yuan, a navigator of the Yuan Dynasty, traveled from Quanzhou twice in 1330 and 1337 respectively. In 1349, he published what he saw and heard during his travels in a book called the Dao-yi Chi-lue, which records his personal journey from Quanzhou to Penghu, northern Taiwan to East Africa, and even sailing experience in the Mediterranean Sea can be regarded as an important work in the history of navigation. Because it is a travel record, what he observed is the geographical location, products, customs, and people’s life of the country and port, and sometimes local weird legends are added to attract readers' interest in strange foreign customs. The book has important reference value in marine history, and there is no English translation so far. Professor Chen Hurng Yu translated the book into English to facilitate cultural exchanges between the East and the West.