China and Macau

Clive Willis, University of Manchester, UK

• Contents: Introduction; First contacts, 1513-57: the arrival of the ’barbarian devils’ from the West; A civilization observed: Imperial Ming China in the 16th century; The Portuguese settle in Macau: the early years; The Jesuit missions in China: the Portuguese contribution; The quest for Cathay: the odyssey of Brother Bento de Góis; Macau in the late 1630s: three complementary accounts; Macau and Manchu China; Glossary; Bibliography; Index.

'... 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