Answer:
"Merchants coming from the land of Persia and from other foreign parts brought abundance of valuable merchandise, such as musk, camphor, rubies, diamonds, and other precious stones, silks of many kinds, cloth of gold and silver, and many other articles, which were exchanged for the produce of China, such as raw silk, tea, and many other things."
The author includes information about trade in this text to provide the reader with an understanding of the commerce that took place between China and its neighboring countries. This illustrates the importance of trade in the region and how it impacted the economy.