Like Froth Floating on the Sea : The World of Pirates and Seafarers in Late Imperial South China

by Antony, Robert J.

• ISBN13: 9781557290786
• ISBN10: 1557290784
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-04-01
• Publisher: Univ of California Inst of East

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures	vii
Acknowledgments	ix
Conventions and Equivalencies	xii
Prelude: The Empress of Heaven Saves Dianbai	1	(18)
Waves of Piracy in Late Imperial China	19	(35)
Piracy in Early Imperial China	21	(1)
The Merchant-Pirates of the Mid-Ming	22	(6)
Merchants, Rebels, and Pirates of the Ming-Qing Transition	28	(9)
The Seafarer-Pirates of the Mid-Qing	37	(17)
Prosperity and Poverty in Maritime South China	54	(28)
Commercialization and Prosperity	55	(16)
Hardship and Poverty	71	(11)
Fishermen, Sailors, and Pirates	82	(23)
Social Backgrounds of Pirates and Victims	83	(5)
Becoming a Pirate	88	(3)
Professional Pirates	91	(3)
Occasional Piracy	94	(3)
Reluctant Pirates and Captives	97	(8)
Pirate Brutality and Hegemony	105	(17)
Pirate Modi Operandi	106	(6)
Robbery, Kidnapping, and Rape	112	(3)
Murder, Mutilation, and Dismemberment	115	(3)
Protection Rackets	118	(4)
Piracy and Seafaring Society	122	(17)
Pirate Lairs and Black Markets	122	(7)
Wicked People and Worthless Fellows	129	(6)
Pirates, Bandits, and Brotherhoods	135	(2)
Piracy and Local Economies	137	(2)
The Cultural World of Seafarers and Pirates	139	(25)
Habits and Lifestyles	140	(4)
Violence and Vice	144	(3)
Lecherous Men and Lewd Women	147	(3)
Mastering the Natural Environment	150	(2)
Worshipping Deities of the Sea	152	(9)
Pirates and Human Sacrifice	161	(3)
Conclusion: Maritime History from the Bottom Up	164	(9)
Glossary	173	(3)
Bibliography	176	(18)
Index	194