Hawksbill sea turtle are taken by humans, though it is illegal to hunt them in many countries. In some parts of the world, hawksbill sea turtles are eaten as a delicacy. As far back as the fifth century BC, sea turtles, including the hawksbill, were eaten as delicacies in China. Many cultures also use turtles' shells for decoration. These turtles have been harvested for their beautiful shell since Egyptian times, and the material known as tortoiseshell is normally from the hawksbill. In China, where it was known as "tai mei", the hawksbill is called the "tortoise-shell turtle", named primarily for its shell, which
Economy of the Song dynasty Samboja, Borneo, Kelantan, Champa, Chenla, Bengtrao, Java, India, Calicut, Lambri, Bengal, Kurum, Gujara, Mecca, Egypt, Baghdad, Iraq, Amman, the Almoravid dynasty, Sicily, Morocco, Tanzania, Somalia, Ryukyu, Korea, and Japan. Pearls, ivory, rhinocero horns, frankincense, agalloch eaglewood, coral, agate, hawksbill turtle shell, gardenia, and rose were imported from the Arabs and Samboja, herbal medicine from Java, costusroot from Foloan (Kuala Sungai Berang) cotton cloth, cotton yarn from Mait, and ginseng, silver, copper, and quick silver from Korea. To promote overseas trade and maximize government profits in control of imported goods, in 971 the government established a Maritime Trade Supervisorate at Guangzhou,