Roderich Ptak – författare

This second selection of studies by Professor Ptak focuses on Chinese maritime trade in the medieval and early modern periods. The first section deals with contacts between China and individual places, in particular Timor, the Sulu Islands, southern India and the islands of the Indian Ocean. Chinese geographical and other accounts of these areas and the trade routes leading to them are examined and where possible, compared with Arabic and Western works from the colonial period. The second part looks at trade in specific commodities such as sandalwood, coral, horses, tortoise-shell, ebony, cloves and tea. Relevant Chinese terms, the uses of each commodity, and the production and distribution are analysed. Both qualitative and quantitative information is drawn from the sources and it is demonstrated that many trade items were much more significant in international business than has been thought. At the same time, these studies highlight the importance of Chinese consumption in driving world commodity flows.

This second selection of studies by Professor Ptak focuses on Chinese maritime trade in the medieval and early modern periods. The first section deals with contacts between China and individual places, in particular Timor, the Sulu Islands, southern India and the islands of the Indian Ocean. Chinese geographical and other accounts of these areas and the trade routes leading to them are examined and where possible, compared with Arabic and Western works from the colonial period. The second part looks at trade in specific commodities such as sandalwood, coral, horses, tortoise-shell, ebony, cloves and tea. Relevant Chinese terms, the uses of each commodity, and the production and distribution are analysed. Both qualitative and quantitative information is drawn from the sources and it is demonstrated that many trade items were much more significant in international business than has been thought. At the same time, these studies highlight the importance of Chinese consumption in driving world commodity flows.

This second selection of studies by Professor Ptak focuses on Chinese maritime trade in the medieval and early modern periods. The first section deals with contacts between China and individual places, in particular Timor, the Sulu Islands, southern India and the islands of the Indian Ocean. Chinese geographical and other accounts of these areas and the trade routes leading to them are examined and where possible, compared with Arabic and Western works from the colonial period. The second part looks at trade in specific commodities such as sandalwood, coral, horses, tortoise-shell, ebony, cloves and tea. Relevant Chinese terms, the uses of each commodity, and the production and distribution are analysed. Both qualitative and quantitative information is drawn from the sources and it is demonstrated that many trade items were much more significant in international business than has been thought. At the same time, these studies highlight the importance of Chinese consumption in driving world commodity flows.

Was ist unter der „Maritimen Seidenstraße" zu verstehen, wie ist Chinas Rolle im Mittelalter zu deuten, welchen Stellenwert hat die Vergangenheit heute – in einer Zeit, die von sehr unterschiedlichen Interpretationen und Instrumentalisierungen geprägt ist?

Diese und andere Fragen stehen im Mittelpunkt der Darstellung. Zunächst geht es um Konzepte und geographische Kategorien, etwa um variierende Raumwahrnehmungen. Grundsätzliche Überlegungen führen zum Braudel’schen Modell und seiner Anwendung auf Asien. Hierbei gilt: Austausch ist ein umfassendes Phänomen und sollte nicht auf Handel reduziert werden. Im späten Mittelalter sind die Expeditionen der frühen Ming besonders wichtig. Doch die Quellen lassen viele Punkte offen. Das hat eine Flut von Hypothesen hervorgebracht, die nicht selten gewagt oder gar widersprüchlich wirken, wie ausgewählte Beispiele zeigen. Auch die Politik profitiert von der offenen Quellenlage: Im Rahmen seiner „One Belt One Road"-Initiative ist China darum bemüht, alte Kontakte neu zu beleben. Dabei werden Toleranz und Harmonie zwischen den Akteuren betont, anders als unter den Kolonialmächten.

Mithin reicht das Thema hinüber in unsere Zeit und interessiert Historiker sowie Gegenwartsforscher.

Under the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, China's maritime trade went through several stages of rapid expansion. This concerns both activities initiated by the central government and private seafaring: Chinese ships would sail to ports in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, and foreign merchants would come to China, often declaring themselves as tribute envoys. In the early 16th century, the Portuguese made contact with the Middle Kingdom, leading to the foundation of Macao in the 1550s. The present volume, the third collection by Roderich Ptak, explores important structural features related to China's maritime ventures and Luso-Chinese relations. It also discusses the perception of maritime space in late medieval Chinese texts and the importance of trade routes, especially the so-called eastern route from Fujian via Luzon to the Sulu 'zone'. The third section presents different 'key' regions as seen through Chinese eyes: Hainan, the coral island in the South China Sea, Barus on Sumatra, and finally Wang Dayuan's chapters on the Kerala coast.