The issues of islands governing in early Ming Dynasty

Abstract

Abstract Ming Dynasty is a key transitional period in China’s maritime history. It marks the shift from outward expansion to passive defense, whereas underground marine trades were rampant and China had to face the rising Western powers. It deserves to examine Ming’s maritime management by different perspectives including the coastal islands. This research focuses on Veritable Records of the Ming (明實錄) and explores key terms such as ‘island’(島) and ‘isle’(嶼) via the approach of ‘Digital Humanities’ to sum up the main issues of islands governing in early Ming Dynasty: 1. To subjugate political rivals on the sea and to defeat remnant Mongolian militaries. 2. To surrender rebels and appease refugees on the coastal islands. 3. To suppress and defend against Japanese pirates. 4. Diplomatic relations with neighboring countries. These issues reflected that Chinese dynastic regime transition from Yuan to Ming not only drastically altered the order of the East Asia seas after 14th c., but was also the key factor for the island governing policies in the early Ming period. This article investigates the issues of islands governing to discuss how the internal and external situation and the characteristic oceanic consciousness influenced the marine affair policy decision in early Ming Dynasty.