Directions

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The Great South China Sea Area has long served as a cradle of maritime civilizations, a crossroads of trade and culture, and a dynamic space of navigation, exchange, and conflict. Its waters have witnessed the rise and interaction of diverse coastal societies, whose lives and livelihoods have been intricately shaped by the rhythms of the sea. Over centuries, these communities developed rich traditions of seafaring knowledge, oral histories, navigation techniques, and cultural practices, many of which are embedded in indigenous texts.

This research explores the maritime history and cultural landscapes of the area through an interdisciplinary lens that bridges historical documentation, anthropological insight, and computational analysis. By examining primary sources such as Genglubu manuscripts, tidal charts, and oral seafaring knowledge, the study seeks to reconstruct the epistemologies and everyday practices of maritime life in the region. At the same time, it situates the South China Sea within broader regional and global maritime networks, recognizing its role in shaping cultural identities, economic patterns, and geopolitical interactions.

In a time of growing technological capacity and digital humanities innovation, this research also leverages tools such as geographic information systems (GIS), natural language processing (NLP), and AI-assisted textual analysis to preserve, interpret, and visualize maritime cultural heritage. By doing so, it aims to illuminate the enduring significance of the South China Sea not only as a space of historical contestation, but also as a living archive of shared human experience upon the ocean.

The Geng Lu Bu (更路簿), often translated as “Manual of Sea Routes” or “Route Book,” represents one of the most distinctive bodies of traditional maritime knowledge in Chinese history. Compiled and transmitted orally and textually by generations of fishermen and navigators, especially from the coastal communities of Hainan and southern China, these documents record vital seafaring information such as sailing directions, current flows, seasonal wind patterns, reef locations, and timing across the South China Sea and beyond.

Despite their humble appearance, Geng Lu Bu manuscripts constitute a sophisticated form of indigenous maritime epistemology. They offer rich insights into how early navigators understood, mapped, and interacted with the marine environment—often without the aid of modern instruments. Their use of metaphor, spatial orientation, lunar calendars, and mnemonic structures reflects a deeply localized yet expansive knowledge system, developed through centuries of direct experience with the sea.

This study of Geng Lu Bu seeks to uncover the historical, cultural, and technological dimensions embedded in these texts. It explores how the Geng Lu Bu functioned not only as practical guides for survival and navigation, but also as vessels of cultural transmission, regional identity, and socio-economic organization. Through comparative textual analysis, historical contextualization, and modern computational tools such as digital transcription, natural language processing (NLP), and geographic information systems (GIS), this research aims to:

• Preserve and digitize vulnerable Geng Lu Bu manuscripts; 
• Decode the navigational logic and cultural symbols within the texts;
• Reconstruct historical sea routes and patterns of marine usage;
• Situate Geng Lu Bu within the global history of seafaring knowledge systems.

In doing so, Geng Lu Bu Studies contributes not only to the fields of maritime history and ethnography, but also to the emerging dialogue between traditional knowledge and digital humanities, helping to reimagine how we understand and engage with the ocean as both a physical and cultural space.