This book is a theoretical study of China's maritime development and maritime humanities and social sciences, as well as a study of China's maritime historiography. China is a large country with both land and sea, rich in biodiversity, and the ocean is an important environment for the Chinese nation to survive and thrive. In history, the Chinese nation has developed its own maritime economy, maritime society and maritime humanistic model. As a natural body, the ocean treats all littoral nations equally, and it is neither open nor closed to any one of them. Due to the different maritime environments, the ways the coastal nations adapt vary accordingly; hence the maritime culture is characterized by plurality and diversity. The contacts and exchanges between maritime civilizations in history are riddled with misunderstandings, exclusions, conflicts, and confrontations. Therefore, it is necessary to develop dialogues among varied maritime civilizations of varied countries, which, as a result, will develop together through mutual tolerance, seek common ground while shelving differences, and extract the idea of maritime civilization for all mankind through mutual learning and complementing each other.

Autorentext

Yang Guozhen, Professor of Chinese History at Xiamen University

Research interests: History of Ming and Qing Dynasties, Chinese Socioeconomic History, and Maritime History.

Education and Employment:

1961 B.A. at the Department of History, Xiamen University

1961-1978 Assistant professor at the Department of History, Xiamen University

1978-1983 Lecturer at the Institute of History, Xiamen University

1984-1986 Vice director at the Institute of History, Xiamen University

April-July, 1985 Visiting Scholar to Kyoto University

Sept, 1985-Sept, 1986 Visting Scholar to East Asian Study Center at Stanford University

1985 Professor of History at Xiamen University

1986 Ph.D. Supervisor

1994 titled "Distinguished Young Scholar at National Level"

1987-2006 Director of History Research Center at Xiamen University

2010 Emeritus Professor

Currently

Chief Editor of Journal of Chinese Socioeconomic History

Member of the Academic Consultation Committee at the Institute of Chinese History

Visiting Professor of Capital Normal University at Beijing, National Central University and National Chengchi University at Taiwan

Chief Expert of the "985 Project" of the Innovation Research base of maritime development at Ocean University of China

Besides, Prof. Yang has been invited to give talks at Kyoto University, Stanford University, Oxford University, etc.

Selected Publications:

Prof. Yang is Author of A Biography of Lin Zexu (2010), A Life of Tan Kah Kee (1981), A Comprehensive Record of Legal Documents of Southern Fujian (2009), Fujian at Sea: Tracing Fujian Maritime History (1998), Oriental Water and Land: Marine Environment and Economic Development in Southeast China (2003),Maritime Compass: Chinese Maritime Theory, History and Culture (2019), etc.

He is also Compiler of A Selection of Qing Dynasty Title Deeds in Northern Fujian, A Collection of Southern Fujian Title Deeds, etc. As Editor-in-Chief, he is known for "Chinese Maritime Civilization Studies" (10 volumes, 2016), "The Sea and China Study Series" (25 monographs, 2019), etc.