This chapter aims to examine Chinese knowledge and narratives about Malta over the centuries, providing a general overview of Chinese sources citing and/or describing this island, to reconstruct a historical panorama concerning the knowledge of the island of Malta in China. To this end, the research focuses on written texts, beginning with Chinese geographical sources, followed by travel literature from the Ming-Qing period before 1866. This chapter opens with a brief discussion of the Mediterranean Sea in ancient Chinese texts, followed by a selection of Ming and Qing sources on Malta, presenting it as a land that embodies the concepts of interculturalism and transculturality. Virtually absent from Chinese sources for centuries, descriptions of Malta from both geographical works and travel accounts up to the first half of the 19th century provide an idyllic depiction of a fertile land inhabited by industrious, generous, brave, and contented people.
University of Florence, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0001-8384-7925
Chapter Title
The Mediterranean Island of Malta and Its Names in Chinese Sources
Authors
Miriam Castorina
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0598-6.10
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2024
Copyright Information
© 2024 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Navigating the Mediterranean Through the Chinese Lens
Book Subtitle
Transcultural Narratives of the Sea Among Lands
Editors
Renata Vinci
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
138
Publication Year
2024
Copyright Information
© 2024 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0598-6
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0597-9
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0598-6
eISBN (epub)
979-12-215-0599-3
Series Title
Studi e saggi
Series ISSN
2704-6478
Series E-ISSN
2704-5919