Birds and Beasts in Chinese Texts and Trade

With this volume, Roderich Ptak tries to build bridges between China's South and the overseas world, between the real and the imagined, and philological and other dimensions. The book comprises six studies (based on different lectures ) which deal with animals in traditional Chinese texts from pre-Han times to the Qing period. The animals mentioned can be related to trade, daily life, literature, etc. with a regional focus on South China and the maritime world. The birds and beasts are instrume ...