In this ground‐breaking, posthumous study, the late Lo Jung‐pang discusses the geographic, political,and commercial factors that led to the emergence of seapower and a navy under the Ming. WhileZheng He and his seven expeditions have received some scholarly attention, few understand the longhistory of maritime engagement which provided the nautical and technical background for thesevoyages. The evolution of this maritime engagement and its extension into the Indian Ocean is thefocus of Lo’s still‐timely and highly significant work.In addition to detailing the rise of the Ming navy and its extraordinary accomplishments, Lo alsoexamines some of the factors that led to the end of China’s first great maritime era: Why did Chinasuddenly seem to turn away from the seas? Were the military defeats in Annam and on the northernborders significant in this? Or were financial pressures key?Empire in the Western Ocean represents the most comprehensive and insightful English‐languagetreatment to
