Abstract
The Dutch were adamant that they would gain a foothold in China in their desire to replace the Iberian traders in Asia. Yet throughout the seventeenth century, all their attempts proved failures. Circumventing the Portuguese first involved sailing the so-called Northeast Passage in 1594, which stranded in the arctic ice of Novaya Zemlya.² Closer to their goal, a Dutch fleet equipped to besiege Macau in 1622 foundered due to the local Jesuits’ skillful marksmanship.³ Establishing a trading post in Guangzhou was beyond the traders’ grasp of the local mandarins’ sensibilities.⁴ In 1656–66, two costly embassies to the Imperial Court...
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Reshaping the Boundaries |
| Subtitle of host publication | The Christian Intersection of China and the West in the Modern Era |
| Editors | Song Gang |
| Place of Publication | Hong Kong |
| Publisher | Hong Kong University Press |
| Pages | 9-34 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9789888390557 |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |