China As a Sea Power, 1127-1368

Lo Jung-pang argues that during each of the three periods when imperial China embarked on maritime enterprises (the Qin and Han dynasties, the Sui and early Tang dynasties, and Song, Yuan, and early Ming dynasties), coastal states took the initiative at a time when China was divided, maritime trade and exploration subsequently peaked when China was strong and unified, and decli...

Lo Jung-pang argues that during each of the three periods when imperial China embarked on maritime enterprises (the Qin and Han dynasties, the Sui and early Tang dynasties, and Song, Yuan, and early Ming dynasties), coastal states took the initiative at a time when China was divided, maritime trade and exploration subsequently peaked when China was strong and unified, and declined as Chinese power weakened. At such times, China’s people became absorbed by internal affairs, and state policy focused on threats from the north and the west. These cycles of maritime activity, each lasting roughly five hundred years, corresponded with cycles of cohesion and division, strength and weakness, prosperity and impoverishment, expansion and contraction.

In the early 21st century, a strong and outward looking China is again building up its navy and seeking maritime dominance, with important implications for trade, diplomacy and naval affairs. Events will not necessarily follow the same course as in the past, but Lo Jung-pang’s analysis suggests useful questions for the study of events as they unfold and decades to come.

罗荣邦Jung-pangLo（1912—1981）

美籍华人，美国加州大学戴维斯分校中国史终身教授，中国古代海权史研究专家，同时也是李约瑟主编的《中国科学技术史》的执笔人之一。

罗荣邦是康有为的外孙，幼年时曾与康有为度过一段四处漂泊的日子，许多年后编译的《康有为传记与论丛》令他小有名气。但事实上，他一生的重点研究方向在中国海洋史。

1934年，罗荣邦从燕京大学毕业后赴美留学。在加州大学伯克利分校获硕士和博士学位。他曾协助李约瑟编写《中国科学技术史》，撰写分析中国水师的文章，还发表了多篇学术论文，内容涉及水力学、船只建造、航海以及海军武器系统等。

1957年，罗荣邦重新整理了他先前关于中国水师的研究，即是本书《被遗忘的海上中国史》。