{"product_id":"emperor-of-the-seas-kublai-khan-and-the-making-of-china","title":"Emperor of the Seas: Kublai Khan and the Making of China","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Astonishing...Brings to life a thriving - and rather civilized - empire\" - The Telegraph\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"sparkles with energy, insight and passion... difficult to put down.\" Nicholas Morton, BBC History Magazine \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eControl the sea, and you control everything...a\u003cb\u003e gripping tale of dynastic rivalry and innovation, from \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ethe author of the classic work \u003ci\u003eGenghis Khan\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eand the Making of the Modern World\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eGenghis Khan built a formidable land empire, but he never crossed the sea. Yet by the time his grandson Kublai Khan had defeated the last vestiges of the Song empire and established the Yuan dynasty in 1279, the Mongols controlled the most powerful navy in the world. How did a nomad come to conquer China and master the sea? Based on ten years of research and a lifetime of immersion in Mongol culture and tradition, \u003ci\u003eEmperor of the Seas\u003c\/i\u003e brings this little-known story vibrantly to life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Kublai Khan is one of history's most fascinating characters. He brought Islamic mathematicians to his court, where they invented modern cartography and celestial measurement. He transformed the world's largest land mass into a unified, diverse and economically progressive empire, introducing paper money. And, after bitter early setbacks, he transformed China into an outward looking sea-faring empire. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBy the end of his reign, the Chinese were building and supplying remarkable ships to transport men, grain, and weapons over vast distances, of a size and dexterity that would be inconceivable in Europe for hundreds of years. Khan had come to a brilliant realization: control the sea, and you control everything. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A master storyteller with an unparalleled grasp of Mongol sources, Jack Weatherford shows how Chinese naval hegemony changed the world forever - revolutionizing world commerce and transforming tastes as far away as England and France.","brand":"Jack Weatherford","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46333142860012,"sku":"9781399417730","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/1791\/3068\/files\/9781399417730.jpg?v=1743580789","url":"https:\/\/intl.allstora.com\/products\/emperor-of-the-seas-kublai-khan-and-the-making-of-china","provider":"Allstora","version":"1.0","type":"link"}