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

Taking The Maldives As A Case, Angle, And Approach, This Book Examines China's Maritime Activities In The Indian Ocean, In Addition To Sino-indian Ocean Interactions During The Period Of 1200-1620. Firmly Based On Textual Sources (chinese, Maldivian, And Other Non-chinese Sources), Cartographic Works (both Chinese And Jesuit), And Archaeological Findings (mainly Shipwrecks), This Book Illustrates How The Maldives, A Small Indian Ocean Archipelago Far Away From The Celestial Dynasty, Shaped Chinese Empire-building From The Neolithic Period To The Seventeenth Century. It Also Analyzes The Chinese Conceptualization Of This Indian Ocean Sultanate By Highlighting China's Maritime Explorations And Knowledge Production, Throwing Fresh Light On Maritime China, Maritime Asia, And The Indian Ocean World. Discovered And Named By The Chinese At The Beginning Of The Fourteenth Century, The Maldives Would Be Soon Forgotten In The Chinese World By The End Of The Sixteenth Century After The Chinese State Suddenly Retreated From The Indian Ocean And Began To Focus On Nanyang (lit. South Ocean, Roughly Covering The Area Known Now As Southeast Asia). Adopting A Trans-regional And Interdisciplinary Approach, This Book Contributes To The History Of The Maldives (and Thus Of The Indian Ocean), Maritime China (and Thus Maritime Asia), And Sino-indian Ocean Interactions-- Provided By Publisher.