 He is said to have been a captain of a junk trading ship that plied between Ningpo and Nagasaki from 1726–1746.Yi Hai is identified in the "Encyclopedia of Chinese Artists" as a native of Wuxing, Zhejiang.Trade in Japan at this time was restricted to the port of Nagasaki and Chinese merchants carried on their business in the Chinese Factory or Tojinyashiki (唐人屋敷).