Golden Age of Piracy in China, 1520–1810

Before his retirement in 2019, Robert J. Antony was distinguished professor and senior researcher at Guangzhou University. He is the author of Like Froth Floating on the Sea: The World of Pirates and Seafarers in Late Imperial South China (2003), Unruly People: Crime, Community, and State in Late Imperial South China (2016), and The Golden Age of Piracy in China, 1520-1810: A Short History with Documents (2022). He now lives with his wife near Princeton, New Jersey.

• Preface PART I: NARRATIVE HISTORY1 Piracy in China’s Maritime World2 Piracy in the Mid-Ming Dynasty (1520–1580) 3 Piracy during the Ming-Qing Transition (1620–1684) 4 Piracy in the Mid-Qing Dynasty (1775–1810) 5 The Significance of Piracy in China’s History PART II: DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE1 Piracy in the Mid-Ming Dynasty (1520–1580) 2 Piracy in the Ming-Qing Transition (1620–1684) 3 Piracy in the Mid-Qing Dynasty (1775–1810) Chronology Glossary A Note on Chinese Documentary Evidence References Index

Everyone knows something about the famous pirates of the Caribbean, but their Chinese counterparts were just as fascinating and far more numerous and powerful. This book, by one of the world’s foremost experts on Chinese piracy, is the best book in print on the topic. It immerses you in the pirates’ bloody and dangerous world— an experience both gripping and informative.