Lo Jung-pang – författare

All the original author essays were evaluated for their currency, and 145 of them were given substantial revision, in some cases by the original contributor. The sections "Other literary forms," "Achievements," "Biography," and "Analysis" were updated to include recent developments: new titles or awards, changes in residence or employment, and alterations in critical and popular reception. For these essays, material on one or more specific stories or collections was added.This edition adds 145 new writers. A significant effort was made to add more women; they include such notable figures as Michelle Cliff, Edwidge Danticat, Anita Desai, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Carol Shields, and Christa Wolf. Many important authors from around the world are featured for the first time in this edition; those with works in English translation include such as Daniel Alarcon, J. M. G. Le Clézio, Haruki Murakami, and Mario Vargas Llosa.

All the original author essays were evaluated for their currency, and 145 of them were given substantial revision, in some cases by the original contributor. The sections "Other literary forms," "Achievements," "Biography," and "Analysis" were updated to include recent developments: new titles or awards, changes in residence or employment, and alterations in critical and popular reception. For these essays, material on one or more specific stories or collections was added.This edition adds 145 new writers. A significant effort was made to add more women; they include such notable figures as Michelle Cliff, Edwidge Danticat, Anita Desai, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Carol Shields, and Christa Wolf. Many important authors from around the world are featured for the first time in this edition; those with works in English translation include such as Daniel Alarcon, J. M. G. Le Clézio, Haruki Murakami, and Mario Vargas Llosa.

In this ground-breaking, posthumous study, the late Lo Jung-pang discusses the geographic, political, and commercial factors that led to the emergence of seapower and a navy under the Ming. While Zheng He and his seven expeditions have received some scholarly attention, few understand the long history of maritime engagement which provided the nautical and technical background for these voyages. The evolution of this maritime engagement and its extension into the Indian Ocean is the focus of Lo's still-timely and highly significant work.In addition to detailing the rise of the Ming navy and its extraordinary accomplishments, Lo also examines some of the factors that led to the end of China's first great maritime era: Why did China suddenly seem to turn away from the seas? Were the military defeats in Annam and on the northern borders significant in this? Or were financial pressures key?Empire in the Western Ocean represents the most comprehensive and insightful English-language treatment to date of the evolution and activities of the early Ming navy. Moreover, it encourages further inquiry into contemporary questions of China's maritime aspirations.To aid the reader, a Foreword by Richard J. Smith discusses how Lo viewed the early Ming navy--not simply in terms of its evolution and military strength, but also in terms of the commerce and shipping that it promoted. This history is presented in the context of the centuries-long shift of China's demographic center of gravity from the northwest to the southeast by the Song period (960-1279).In the Afterword, Ming scholar Geoff Wade explains how the Ming rulers, eager to widely display their legitimacy, sent military forces abroad, collected treasure for the imperial court, and urged rulers of all known states to demonstrate their submission to the Ming court. He also shows how this often gave rise to violence during the Ming expeditions.