Cochin (Kochi, Ernakulam, Gezhi, Ko-chih, 柯枝國)

[Travellers | Cities | Routes | Trade Goods | Themes]

Cochin, 9 58' N, 76 14' E (9.97, 76.28), lies in the state of Kerala. A famous city at a later date, it possessed no importance in the fifteenth century, but it had a fine harbour, and was the best port linked with the pepper-producing districts. The Chinese name is a transcription of the Malayalam name Kochchi, 'a small place'.

- from J. V. G. Mills, Ma Huan, p. 132, n. 1