Introduction
This is an exhibition catalogue for the Voyage with the Tailwind: Qing Archival and Cartographical Materials on Maritime History in the National Palace Museum Special Exhibition, which is based on the research of the “Tongan Ship Ji Diagram” and the “Tongan Ship No. 1 Diagram” found in the Copies of Submissions by the Office of Military Secrets (in the collection of the National Palace Museum). The exhibition is divided into four themes: “a million miles of defense,” “sailing on the seven seas,” “those exotic foreign lands,” and “changes in the coastal life.” These historical maps, files, official books, chronicles, literature, and news reports fully reflect the close relationships that exist between the Qing Dynasty coastal activities and the political and economic societies.