The Book of China

In the early sixteenth century, a Persian-speaking Muslim merchant named ʿAli Akbar Khatayi travelled to China and stayed for six years. There, he acquired inside knowledge of the Ming imperial court and gained familiarity with the government bureaucracy, the military, and the daily lives and culture of ordinary people. In a treatise presented to the rulers of the Ottoman Empire, Khatayi laid out his observations—here translated in full into English for the first time.

The Book of China is the most in-depth and sophisticated account of China’s government, society, and culture written by a foreigner before the era of European global dominance and an incomparable record of Eurasian perceptions of China at the dawn of the gunpowder age. In contrast to travellers such as Marco Polo, Khatayi not only chronicled sights and wonders but also sought systematic explanations for Ming China’s wealth and power. He found the answer in Chinese governmental institutions and the universal rule of law, to which administrators and even the emperor himself were subject.

His text also provides vivid descriptions of street life, festivals, and places from temples to brothels to the prison where he and his companions were detained. Opening a window onto the colourful worlds of the Ming court and the Silk Road, The Book of China shows how travel and cultural contact could inspire political imagination across continents.