Chinese Maritime Policies, 1684-1757

The Qing Opening to the OceanDid China drive or resist the early wave of globalization? Some scholars insist that China contributed nothing to the rise of the global economy that began around 1500. Others have placed China at the center of global integration. Neither side, though, has paid attention to the complex story of China’s maritime policies. Drawing on sources from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and the West, The Qing Opening to the Ocean: Chinese Maritime Policies, 1684–1757, an important new work by Gang Zhao, systematically explores the evolution of imperial Qing maritime policy and sets its findings in the context of early globalization.

“This is an important work based on impressive erudition that offers a convincing reinterpretation of Chinese attitudes toward maritime trade.” —John E. Wills, Jr., University of Southern California

Perspectives on the Global Past
February 2013 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3643-6 / $56.00 (CLOTH)