In Asian Waters

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This sweeping account explores how Asia's sea routes have transformed the globe over the past five hundred years, shaping the modern world. The volume of traffic across these routes, from East Africa and the Middle East to Japan, surged, making them the busiest globally. This led to a vast circulation of people, commodities, religion, culture, technology, and ideas. The author chronicles how the seas and oceans of Asia have influenced the continent's history for half a millennium, leaving a lasting impact on the modern world. Focusing on migration, trade, the environment, and urban development, the narrative examines the historical connections between China and East Africa, the spread of Hinduism and Buddhism across the Bay of Bengal, and the intertwined histories of Islam and Christianity in the Philippines. It highlights India's central role in the spice trade, the Indian Ocean's transformation into a "British lake" from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, and the significance of lighthouses and sea mapping in imperialism. The book concludes by pondering the implications of a potential Chinese dominance over Asia's waters, echoing Britain's historical influence. This unique perspective illustrates how Asian history can be understood as a cohesive narrative when viewed from the sea, offering insights into a past that continues to resonate today.