Short description:

From the evidence of Chinese documents, East African excavations and the researches of scholars and historians, the author of this book, originally published in English in 1972, gives a fascinating account of China’s early relations with Africa.

Long description:

From the evidence of Chinese documents, East African excavations and the researches of scholars and historians, the author of this book, originally published in English in 1972, gives a fascinating account of China’s early relations with Africa, the development of China’s navy and overseas enterprises, the visits of the great Ming expeditionary fleets in the early fifteenth century, and finally, why the vast Chinese shipyards ceased all activity by the end of the 15^th century.

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Original Reviews of China and Africa in the Middle Ages: 

'A manifest gap in African studies has been filled...' Race

'There are important pages dedicated to the discovery of Chinese porcelain and coins on the coast of East Africa...' East and West

'...all the evidence from both Chinese documents and East African excavations is considered' Journal of African History 

Table of Contents:

1.Introduction 2. From the Han Dynasty to the T’ang and Sung Dynasties 3. The Expansion and Deployment of China’s Navy 4. The Earliest Chinese Descriptions of African Countries 5. China’s Westward Ventures in the Early Mind Period  6. Chinese Accounts of Brava, Giumbo and Mogadishu 7. Chinese Coins and Porcelain on the East African Coast 8. The Dates of the Early Ming Voyages to the West 9. Cheng Ho’s Two Inscriptions 10. The Ending of the Chinese Expeditions to the Western Seas and Africa.