The early history of Malacca has provided scholars with many problems. Sir Richard Winstedt's contribution has been a careful analysis of Malay sources, including a study of the genealogies of the Malacca royal house. He has also drawn attention to the material in Tomé Pires's Suma Oriental, where the story of how Malacca was founded cannot be better told. The events in Palembang, in Singapore, in Muar, and then in Malacca, which probably occurred during the last two decades of the fourteenth century, show the rise to local power of Parameswara, the founder of Malacca. As to how and when Malacca became an important international trading power, we have to turn to Chinese writings for our earliest records. The best known of these writings are Ma Huan's Ying-yai Shêng-lan and Fei Hsin's Hsing-ch'a Shêng-lan, which record the expeditions of Chêng Ho (1405–33), and the official history of the Ming dynasty (the Ming Shih), which presents a chronology of Sino-Malacca relations during the fifteenth-century.

The present study examines the question of how the Ming court came to open relations with Parameswara in the years 1403–05 and what the nature of that relationship was. New documentary and chronological material is now available in the Ming Shih-lu (Veritable Records of the Ming) and a careful examination of this material has thrown some light on the subject. Specially valuable is the Yung-lo Shih-lu in 130 chüans, the Veritable Records of the reign of the Emperor Yung-lo (1402–24), which was the source-book of the Ming Shih and most of the other sixteenth- and seventeenth-century works which touch on the subject of Malacca. The Yung-lo Shih-lu was compiled between the years 1425 and 1430. Although it merely recorded the official relations between China and Malacca, it is the earliest surviving work which mentions the activities of Malacca. Also, it is the daily record of Yung-lo's reign, carefully compiled from material in the Imperial Archives. Where foreign relations were concerned, the following rule was applied: “The sending of envoys to communicate with [countries beyond] the four borders and their appointments, acceptances, presentations and rewards are all recorded. Also recorded are the missions of foreign countries and such banquets and gifts [which were given them].” This rule indicates that the material was as complete as was possible at the time.