WYBRAND VAN WARWIJCK’S VISIT TO CHINA, 1604Wybrand van Warwijck 訪問中國1604
This article presents a primary source account, translated into English, detailing Admiral Wybrand van Warwijck’s 1604 expedition to China—a pivotal moment in the early history of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Asia. Following the establishment of the first VOC settlement in Bantam, Van Warwi...
Saved in:
| Published in: | Review of Culture |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
| Published: |
Instituto Cultural de Macau
October 2004
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40012/3822 |
| Summary: | This article presents a primary source account, translated into English, detailing Admiral Wybrand van Warwijck’s 1604 expedition to China—a pivotal moment in the early history of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Asia. Following the establishment of the first VOC settlement in Bantam, Van Warwijck sought to initiate formal trade relations with the Ming Empire, leveraging the diplomatic influence of the Siamese Kingdom. The narrative, excerpted from seventeenth-century travelogues by Cornelis van Veen and Sebaldt de Weert, documents the strategic and military tensions between the nascent Dutch presence and the established Portuguese interests in Macao.
Key findings highlight the multifaceted resistance the Dutch encountered: the Portuguese actively sabotaged Dutch diplomatic efforts in Canton through misinformation and political pressure, while the Chinese authorities ultimately rebuffed Van Warwijck’s overtures with a significant naval show of force in Fujian. Furthermore, the text provides historical context for the escalating hostilities in the South China Sea, including the capture of the Portuguese “Black Ship” in 1603 and the subsequent seizure of the *Santo António* in 1605. Ultimately, the account offers a critical perspective on the geopolitical complexities and the "clash of empires" that defined European maritime expansion and trade competition in East Asia during the early seventeenth century. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |