No. 9966
Jorge Álvares
d. 1521Explorer and merchantEurope · 1521Most named place: Malacca
Jorge Álvares was a Portuguese explorer credited with being the first European to have reached China by sea during the Age of Discovery. He led the first Portuguese expedition that landed on Chinese soil in 1513 at place Tamao, present day Shangchuan Island, about 80km southwest of the mouth of the Pearl River. As a business representative of the Portuguese sovereign, Álvares left Malacca with cargo of pepper from Sumatra. He sold the spices to the Chinese and made a huge profit. However, the official basis for trading between these two nations were established after 1553.
