Empire in the western ocean : sea power and the early Ming navy, 1355–1449  Empire in the Western Ocean: Sea Power and the Early Ming Navy, 1355–1449 

• Product Details

  Product #

  2581121B

  Author(s)

  Lo, Jung-pang

  City

  Hong Kong 

  Country

  Hong Kong 

  Language

  English 

  ISBN

  9789882372719 

  Date of Publication

  2023 

  Publisher

  The Chinese Univ of Hong Kong Press  

  Cover Type

  Soft cover 

  Pages

  298 

  Subject

  History, 19th Century and Earlier

   

• Product Details in Original Language

  Author

  Lo, Jung-pang

  Publisher

  The Chinese Univ of Hong Kong Press  

• Description

  Empire in the Western Ocean: Sea Power and the Early Ming Navy, 1355–1449 In this ground-breaking, posthumous study, the late Lo Jung-pang discusses the geographic, political, and commercial factors that led to the emergence of seapower and a navy under the Ming. While Zheng He and his seven expeditions have received some scholarly attention, few understand the long history of maritime engagement which provided the nautical and technical background for these voyages. The evolution of this maritime engagement and its extension into the Indian Ocean is the focus of Lo’s still-timely and highly significant work. In addition to detailing the rise of the Ming navy and its extraordinary accomplishments, Lo also examines some of the factors that led to the end of China’s first great maritime era: Why did China suddenly seem to turn away from the seas? Were the military defeats in Annam and on the northern borders significant in this? Or were financial pressures key? Empire in the Western Ocean represents the most comprehensive and insightful English-language treatment to date of the evolution and activities of the early Ming navy. Moreover, it encourages further inquiry into contemporary questions of China’s maritime aspirations.