Lost Colony tells a fascinating story, engages the Grand Debate, and draws a nuanced conclusion. The “story” focuses on the victory of Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong, 1624–62) over the Dutch, resulting in his conquest of Taiwan, which had been occupied by the Dutch since 1624. Andrade calls this 1661–68 conflict the Sino-Dutch War. A “preamble” introduces the story and its place in the Grand Debate (see below), then three roughly equal main parts are devoted to the narration of the story, and finally a “closing” section extends the events to 1668 and serves as a conclusion. The story has been treated in both Western and Chinese literature. Andrade's contribution, with his admirable mastery of rich Dutch and Chinese sources and meticulous attention to them, lies in dramatizing it (but without reducing its historical authenticity) and presenting it in a monograph. It is a huge success. Lost Colony reads like a historical...

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