"Western Barbarian Countries Gazetteer Zheng He's Navigational Chart Two Sea Routes Manuals -- Collection of Chinese and Foreign Transportation History Books

Author: Guo Zhen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-04-01
Features: The Records of Western States is one of the earliest documents recording Zheng He's voyages to the Western Oceans. The author participated in Zheng He's fleet and documented the situations of 20 countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia, making it a valuable historical record for maritime history and the history of China's foreign exchanges. Currently, it is annotated and organized based on the only surviving manuscript, the Zhi Sheng Dao Zhai, with nine related articles appended. Zheng He's Maritime Charts were compiled in the late Ming Dynasty based on the sea charts and compass logs used during Zheng He's voyages. It includes over 500 place names encountered during the voyages, making it China's earliest maritime chart. Currently, it is reduced from the original and includes a place name index with modern locations noted. Two Sea Routes and Compass Logs includes The Windward Guide and The Correct Method of the South Pointing Compass, originally used by sailors in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties for long-distance ocean navigation. It is a precious historical record for maritime history. An index of place names is appended at the end.