Tioman Island

Tioman rises from the South China Sea off the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. Its distinctive twin peaks served mariners as a landmark, and the island offered fresh water and shelter from the northeast monsoon. Chinese ceramics found on its shores testify to the ships that travelled through these waters; seafarers could replenish their supplies here before continuing across the sea.

A vessel lost near Tioman in the late fourteenth century carried a cargo of Thai celadon, much of it from the kilns of Si Satchanalai. The wreck reveals both the scale of the ceramic trade and the hazards of the sea routes. Tioman's position made it a useful stopping place on voyages between the Malay Peninsula and lands across the South China Sea.