Discovered But Forgotten - The Maldives in Chinese History, C. 1100-1620

Discovered but Forgotten is a pioneering examination of China's relations with the Maldives and Sino-Indian Ocean interactions, offering new ways to understand Chinese maritime exploration and the global history of the Indian Ocean.

List of contents

List of Figures, Maps, and Tables
Note on Chinese Weights and Measures in the Ming Dynasty
Acknowledgments
Part I. The Stage
1. Small, Remote, but Significant
2. From Zaitun
3. Sailing to the Indian Ocean
Part II. A Destination
4. Who Once Landed in the Maldives?
5. The Kingdom of Atolls
6. Monsoons and Currents
7. Between the Son of Heaven and the Sultan
Part III. The Cargo
8. The Trees of the Maldives
9. Ships Without Nails
10. Cowrie Shells
11. Dried Fish, Grains, and Handkerchiefs
12. Dragon’s Spittle
13. Laka Wood and Frankincense
Part IV. Reminiscences
14. A Ruined Buddhist Past
15. Port Marriage
16. A True Romance
17. An Echo: The “China Bird”
Notes
Bibliography
Index

About the author

Bin Yang is a professor of history at City University of Hong Kong. His books include Between Winds and Clouds: The Making of Yunnan (Columbia, 2008) and Cowrie Shells and Cowrie Money: A Global History (2019).

Summary

Discovered but Forgotten is a pioneering examination of China’s relations with the Maldives and Sino-Indian Ocean interactions, offering new ways to understand Chinese maritime exploration and the global history of the Indian Ocean.

Product details

• Authors: Bin Yang, Bin (College of William and Mary) Yang, Yang Bin
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 18.10.2024
• EAN: 9780231212328
• ISBN: 978-0-231-21232-8
• No. of pages: 384
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; China, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, HISTORY / Maritime History & Piracy, maritime history, Social and cultural history, Maldives, history; technology & engineering