Nanyang refers to Southeast Asian countries. Specifically, it mainly includes Malay Archipelago, Philippine Archipelago and Indonesian Archipelago, as well as the coastal areas of Indochina Peninsula and Malay Peninsula.
The word Nanyang probably first appeared in the Ming Dynasty. The rapid population expansion in Ming Dynasty, coupled with the government's closed door, hindered international trade and made life difficult for fishermen. Rationing in the Ming Dynasty could no longer feed the growing population. In this case, many Cantonese people in Fujian on the southeast coast can only go out to sea to seek a new life. They left their homeland and probably came to Indo-China Peninsula, Philippine Islands, Indonesia Islands and other places by smuggling, where they cultivated or did business. At that time, this behavior was called South Asia.