In the early sixteenth century, a Muslim merchant from Central Eurasia named ʿAli Akbar Khatayi traveled to China and stayed for six years, observing government agents and soldiers, interacting with ordinary people, and even obtaining inside knowledge of the Ming court. He then traveled thousands of miles west to Istanbul, where he presented a description of the Chinese state to the Ottoman emperors on the eve of their rise to regional dominance.

Khatayi’s book is the most in-depth, sophisticated account of China’s government, society, and culture written by any foreigner before the era of European colonial empires. Now translated into English for the first time, with an introduction tailored to students and nonspecialist scholars, The Book of China offers an incomparable record of Eurasian perceptions of China at the dawn of the gunpowder age. In contrast to travelers like Marco Polo who introduced new geographical lore to medieval Europe, Khatayi wrote for a well-informed early modern Muslim audience, for whom he sought to provide systematic explanations of Ming China’s wealth and power. How could a society so steeped in luxury also marshal powerful, disciplined armies? Khatayi’s answer was government institutions, technology, and laws that bound everyone including the emperor. His book vividly describes sights ranging from the imperial palace, temples, gardens, and brothels to the construction of new cities and the inside of a vast prison. Opening a window onto the colorful world of the Ming court and the civic lore of Silk Road travelers, The Book of China shows how travel and cultural contact could inspire political imagination across continents.