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Embassies to China

Diplomacy and Cultural Encounters Before the Opium Wars

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • Provides a comparative study of five Western embassies to China between the 13th and 18th centuries

  • Offers key insights into the development of global modernity through Europe’s early encounter with China

  • Focuses on the five key concepts of peace, empire, trade, religion, and diplomacy in the Europe-China encounter

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-x
  2. Introduction

    • Michael Keevak
    Pages 1-11
  3. Making “Peace” with the East

    • Michael Keevak
    Pages 13-37
  4. Portugal and “Empire”

    • Michael Keevak
    Pages 39-63
  5. Holland and “Trade”

    • Michael Keevak
    Pages 65-89
  6. The Pope’s “Religion”

    • Michael Keevak
    Pages 91-117
  7. Russia and “Diplomacy”

    • Michael Keevak
    Pages 119-141
  8. Epilogue

    • Michael Keevak
    Pages 143-158
  9. Back Matter

    Pages 159-162

About this book

This text is a timely and wide-ranging study providing essential background to the development of global modernity through the European encounter with China. Considering differing notions of peace, empire, trade, religion, and diplomacy as touchstones in the relations between China and Europe on mutuality, the book examines five encounters with France, Portugal, Holland, the pope, and Russia between 1248 and 1720, and reflects on concepts that the West took for granted but which did not successfully cross over into the Chinese world. This cutting edge text provides key insights into the cultural and political conflict which lay at the heart of early Chinese-European relations, as the West's understanding of the truth and appropriateness of its cultural norms was confronted by China's norms and beliefs.

Authors and Affiliations

  • National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Michael Keevak

About the author

Michael Keevak is Professor of Foreign Languages at National Taiwan University, where he has taught since 1993. He is the author of four books, the most recent of which is Becoming Yellow: A Short History of Racial Thinking (2011), winner of the Academia Sinica Book Award in Humanities and Social Sciences in 2013.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Embassies to China

  • Book Subtitle: Diplomacy and Cultural Encounters Before the Opium Wars

  • Authors: Michael Keevak

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3972-0

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Singapore

  • eBook Packages: History, History (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-10-3971-3Published: 05 July 2017

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-981-13-5012-2Published: 11 December 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-981-10-3972-0Published: 21 June 2017

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: X, 162

  • Number of Illustrations: 14 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: World History, Global and Transnational History, Regional and Cultural Studies, Asian Languages, History of China

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access