Manila was an active trade partner with the Song and Yuan dynasties of China. The polity of Tondo flourished during the latter half of the Ming dynasty as a result of direct trade relations with China. The Tondo district was the traditional capital of the empire, and its rulers were sovereign kings, not mere chieftains. Tondo was christened under the traditional Chinese characters in the Hokkien reading, , due to its chief position located southeast of China. The kings of Tondo were addressed variously as ''panginoón'' in Tagalog ("lords") or ''panginuan'' in Maranao; ''anák banwa'' ("son of heaven"); or ''lakandula'' ("lord of the palace"). The Emperor of China considered the Lakans—the rulers of ancient Manila—"王", or kings.