Asian Review of World Histories 6 (2018) 209–214

Book Reviews ∵

Xing Hang Conflict and Commerce in Maritime East Asia: The Family and the Shaping of the Modern World, c. 1620–1720. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. x + 332 pp. ISBN: 9781107121843 (Hardcover)

The Age of Sail has remained an enduring academic field simply because of this period’s unprecedented impact on global development over the centu- ries that followed. Nevertheless, maritime history in East Asia has not received the attention it deserves. This book, by examining a seemingly old topic, name- ly the Zheng organization, in terms of its constitution and ideology, its policies toward regime construction and maritime expansion, and its efforts to define its political status within East Asia (14–16), constitutes a commendable step toward positioning East Asia alongside Western Europe in discussions about early modern world history. In addition to the introduction and conclusion, this book consists of seven chapters. Chapter 1, “Setting the stage,” together with chapter 2, “From smuggler-pirates to loyal Confucians,” introduces the historical background before Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) took charge of the organization. , where the Zheng organization originated, can be understood in three succes- sively larger contexts: Greater Fujian, the Asian Mediterranean, and the East Asian world-region. All three contexts aid in the interpretation of Fujian in different dimensions, depending on the relations between Fujian and other East and Southeast Asian port cities, and other parts of . In the early sev- enteenth century, , the father of Koxinga, won the trust of the Fujianese maritime leader Li Dan and later succeeded him as leader of their maritime trade bases. Although he served the in its late days, Zheng Zhilong ended up as a hostage of the . Chapter 3, “Between trade and legitimacy,” and chapter 4, “Brave new world,” move from Zheng Zhilong to Koxinga, who developed a previously commerce- centered organization into a military and mercantile organization based in southern Fujian during the Ming–Qing transition. Under his rule, the Zheng

© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2018 | doi 10.1163/22879811-12340031 210 book reviews organization strengthened itself by setting up official structures and partici- pating in overseas trade in and . It also competed with the VOC (the ) in these regions. As a strategic choice, Koxinga led his army northward on a military campaign aimed at controlling the Yangzi River Delta, which ultimately failed. Although Koxinga was op- posed by some of his followers, he subsequently managed to launch military campaigns against . A plan to expand the organization to the Spanish was halted by Koxinga’s death. Chapter 5, “The Zheng state on Taiwan,” evaluates the governance of , the son of Koxinga, in Taiwan. With the death of Koxinga, the Zheng orga- nization faced internal and external challenges. For instance, different factions conflicted over the heir of Koxinga, the VOC planned to colonize Taiwan again, and so on. The Zheng organization in Taiwan, which adopted the Chinese im- perial model and took advantage of Fujianese networks, developed further measures to integrate Taiwan society, including political management of dif- ferent parts of Taiwan, land reforms, and so forth. On the basis of a newly con- quered Taiwan, the Zheng organization restored overseas trade. Chapter 6, “The lure of ‘China’,” and chapter 7, “A contingent destruction,” discuss the final demise of the Zheng organization. During the negotiations between the Zheng organization and the Qing dynasty, “Zheng Jing demanded recognition from the Qing as an equal and separate state,” which “did not fun- damentally conflict with his official allegiance to the Ming” (182). Meanwhile, the Zheng organization continued to increase its commercial influence. Despite its persistent plan to expand to the Spanish Philippines, the Zheng organization decided to march against China again when the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories broke out in 1673. The balance of power between the Zheng organization and the Qing dynasty became a stalemate at first, then was inter- rupted by the adoption of Fujianese military officers by the Qing dynasty. The Zheng organization’s military defeat in Southeastern China not only destroyed the morale of the Zheng army but also threatened its existence in Taiwan. After Zheng Jing’s death, core decision-makers proposed suggestions, including a resurgent military campaign against the Spanish Philippines, but finally the Zheng organization surrendered to the Qing dynasty. The book is a detailed study of the Zheng maritime organization from its rise to its demise. Its intention to understand the Zheng organization in the different geographical contexts of Fujian, China, Taiwan, and maritime East Asia is fresh. The desire for maritime trade, the invasion of overseas lands, the adoption of a Chinese bureaucratic system, the reliance on the Ming dynasty’s legitimacy, and the pursuit of an independent state were knitted together and conflicted with each other throughout the organization’s evolution. The book

Asian Review of World Histories 6 (2018) 209–214