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When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433 (Revised)

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Ancient Chinese maritime dominance unveiled.

This book would transport you back to a time of immense curiosity and ambition that characterized China's naval history. It not only fills a gap in our understanding of a period often overshadowed by European exploration but also marvels at the technological and cultural advancements that could have shaped a different world order. The narrative captures an era rich with exploration potential, reflecting a blend of ambition and eventual retreat that is both intriguing and baffling for the modern reader.

Sale

When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433 (Revised)

Regular price $8.68 $7.90 9% off
Unit price
per
ISBN: 9780195112078
Authors: Louise Levathes
Date of Publication: 1997-01-09
Format: Paperback
Goodreads rating: 3.72
(rated by 552 readers)

Description

A hundred years before Columbus and his fellow Europeans began making their way to the New World, fleets of giant Chinese junks commanded by the eunuch admiral Zheng He and filled with the empire's finest porcelains, lacquerware, and silk ventured to the edge of the world's "four corners." It was a time of exploration and conquest, but it ended in a retrenchment so complete that less than a century later, it was a crime to go to sea in a multimasted ship. In When China Ruled the Seas, Louise Levathes takes a fascinating and unprecedented look at this dynamic period in China's enigmatic history, focusing on China's rise as a naval power that could have ruled the world and its precipitous plunge into isolation when a new emperor ascended the Dragon Throne. During the brief period from 1405 to 1433, seven epic expeditions brought China's "treasure ships" across the China Seas and the Indian Ocean, from Taiwan to the spice islands of Indonesia and the Malabar coast of India, on to the rich ports of the Persian Gulf and down the African coast, China's "El Dorado," and perhaps even to Australia, three hundred years before Captain Cook was credited with its discovery. With over 300 ships--some measuring as much as 400 feet long and
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Ancient Chinese maritime dominance unveiled.

This book would transport you back to a time of immense curiosity and ambition that characterized China's naval history. It not only fills a gap in our understanding of a period often overshadowed by European exploration but also marvels at the technological and cultural advancements that could have shaped a different world order. The narrative captures an era rich with exploration potential, reflecting a blend of ambition and eventual retreat that is both intriguing and baffling for the modern reader.