UM professor’s article published by China’s most prestigious history journal

Prof Tang Kaijian, from the Department of History, University of Macau (UM), recently published his article entitled “Textual Researches on the Deeds of the Big Pirate, Lin Feng  from Eastern Canton in Long-Wan Period, Ming Dynasty— Centered on the Related Historical Records from Liu Yaohui’s ‘Du Fu Shu Yi’” in the 2012 sixth issue of the Journal of Chinese History, the most prestigious history journal in China.

Prof Tang has long dedicated himself to the study of the history of Macao and the history of Sino-West communication.  Lin Feng was one of the biggest pirates on the sea of Minnan and Canton area during the late Longqing and early Wanli period. He was also a key figure in understanding the communication between China and Spain in Ming Dynasty. In his  article, Prof Tang made good use of the newly discovered, unique copy of Du Fu Shu Yi, written by Liu Yaohui, the then-governor of Fujian province . He also took other Western materials into consideration in his studies of pirate Lin Feng and the relations between Spanish merchants and Ming Dynasty. This article represents a significant achievement in the research of marine history and the history of communication between China and the West. It also corrects some long-standing errors in Western literature by pointing out the fact based on solid research that Spain helped military officials of Ming Dynasty to defeat pirate Lin Feng.