Strangers at the Heavenly Court: The 1517 Portuguese Embassy to China

James Masaki Fujitani

doi:10.1007/978-981-95-2701-4

Strangers at the Heavenly Court: The 1517 Portuguese Embassy to China

James Masaki Fujitani

Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review

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Abstract

This open access book examines the first modern diplomatic contact between Europe and East Asia: the 1517 Portuguese embassy to China. The experience did not end well, for in 1521, the Ming Court decided to cut off relations, and a battle broke out between the Guangdong and Portuguese fleets. This work seeks to explain why this happened. Making extensive use of both Chinese and Western archival sources, it proposes a new interpretation—one that breaks with the traditional “clash of civilizations” viewpoint and focuses instead on the diversity of actors and the complex relationships between them.

Original language	English
Place of Publication	Singapore
Publisher	Palgrave Macmillian
Number of pages	236
Volume	1
ISBN (Electronic)	9789819527014
ISBN (Print)	9789819527007, 9789819527038
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-2701-4
Publication status	Published - 2026

Publication series

Name	Palgrave Studies in Comparative Global History
ISSN (Print)	2662-7965
ISSN (Electronic)	2662-7973

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Free Keywords

History of China
History of Portugal
European Age of Exploration
Colonialism
Sino-European Relations
Ming Dynasty
Tributary System
Maritime Ban

ASJC Scopus subject areas

History

Access to Document

10.1007/978-981-95-2701-4

Strangers at the Heavenly CourtFinal published version, 4.28 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

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AB - This open access book examines the first modern diplomatic contact between Europe and East Asia: the 1517 Portuguese embassy to China. The experience did not end well, for in 1521, the Ming Court decided to cut off relations, and a battle broke out between the Guangdong and Portuguese fleets. This work seeks to explain why this happened. Making extensive use of both Chinese and Western archival sources, it proposes a new interpretation—one that breaks with the traditional “clash of civilizations” viewpoint and focuses instead on the diversity of actors and the complex relationships between them.

KW - History of China

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KW - Colonialism

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KW - Maritime Ban

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PB - Palgrave Macmillian

CY - Singapore

ER -

Strangers at the Heavenly Court: The 1517 Portuguese Embassy to China

Abstract

Publication series

UN SDGs

Free Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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