Overview

In 1513 the Portuguese became the first Europeans to establish a maritime route to China. Their motives were a combination of a quest for trade and territory, and a desire to promote Christianity in the region. This anthology of translated extracts of first-hand accounts by contemporary travellers, merchants, missionaries and officials, includes writings by Joaõ de Barros, one of the most prominent chroniclers of the Portuguese overseas endeavours. The importance of the Macau peninsula as a point of exchange in trade between China and Japan is charted in extracts from, amongst others, the journals of the Italian Jesuit Father Matteo Ricci. As this collection of writings shows, the formation of the Dutch East India Company in 1602 heralded the gradual erosion of Portuguese influence in China. Their imprint on Macau was more long-lasting, with their disengagement from the peninsula finally taking place in 1999.

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9781138255197

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Reviews

'... interesting project... The main asset of Portuguese Encounters is to provide the English speaking audience with translations of sixteenth and seventeenth century Portuguese accounts, many of them being the first European view of non-Western societies. The series is particularly important for teachers, researchers and students of the European expansion in the world, since the Portuguese case is often studied on the basis of secondary sources and unreliable translations.' Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society '... a valuable compendium... translations are excellent, eminently readable while preserving the spirit of the original... an informative scholarly introduction, useful maps and a glossary...' Bulletin of Spanish Studies 'Clive Willis has done scholars an invaluable service by compiling China and Macau, an excellent collection of primary and secondary sources on the interaction between Portugal and China during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Capturing the full breadth of the Portuguese encounter with Chinese politics, religions, society, and culture, this work is easily accessible to undergraduates, specialists and the general reader alike... an invaluable source book, presenting a thorough understanding of the Portuguese encounter with Ming China. As a reference work, it is highly readable from beginning to end... The editor is to be congratulated for producing this fine work, which is destined to be essential reading for those interested in the history of Sino-Western interaction.' Itinerario

Author Information

Clive Willis

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