Li Boyong

31303 learners

From the rise of global history as a field to the untold story of early economic globalization, *Muskets and Ledgers* redefines how we view pre-17th-century East Asia. Moving beyond traditional nation-state narratives, this book weaves together two powerful forces: the spread of firearm technology (the "muskets") and interconnected global trade networks built on silver and merchant enterprise (the "ledgers"). It debunks the myth of Ming-era Chinese isolationism, revealing China as the linchpin of early global commerce—by the 18th century, half the world’s silver flowed into its coffers. The text explores shifting East Asian cultural spheres, the crippling border crises facing the late Ming, and the mixed successes of its military reforms: innovations that later propelled the Qing Dynasty to dominance, only to stagnate and set the stage for 19th-century decline. Packed with vivid case studies, from the Manila Galleon trade to the Sino-Japanese Korean War, it offers a sharp, timely look at globalization’s dual nature of opportunity and conflict.

Henrietta Harrison

3.8597 learners

Henrietta Harrison’s *The Perils of Interpreting* weaves the parallel, interconnected lives of two forgotten translators to unpack the high-stakes world of cross-cultural diplomacy between Qing China and Britain in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Follow Jacob Li, a Chinese Catholic educated in Naples who served as a critical interpreter for the Macartney Embassy, navigating the risks of bridging his faith, Chinese identity, and British diplomatic goals. Contrast his journey with George Staunton Jr., the precocious British boy trained in Chinese by his father, who grew into a key figure in Sino-British trade and diplomacy, only to see his idealism crumble amid imperial tensions. Harrison reveals how translation was never just linguistic conversion—it was a battlefield of power, loyalty, and cultural compromise, where missteps could ruin careers, spark conflict, or even cost lives. Through their untold stories, the book exposes the hidden perils of connecting two empires on the brink of war.