Communications from East to West: Essays on the Movements of Porcelain, Science, Medicine, and Culture Between Chinese, Arabs, and Europeans

This collection of essays by noted Chinese scholars examines the way in which cultural communication between the East (mainly China) and the West (Europe) through the Arab world, focusing on various forms of culture, including art, science, literature, and medicine. The trade routes in which key commodities like porcelain and tea are well-known, but many other methods of cultural exchanges, through the translation of literary works and medical tomes, the spread of navigational instruments, and mapmaking all played important roles in disseminating culture. These 18 essays covering diverse topics such as alchemy, porcelain, literature, Chinese medicine, and geography are an important contribution to academic as well as popular knowledge of East-West communications.