This book is a translation of Les Chinois en Insulinde. Échanges et sociétés marchandes au XVII siècle d’après les sources de la V. O. C. (Paris: Les Indes Savantes, 2008). Its content is characterised by two main features: first, it examines the role of the Chinese in 17th century Southeast Asia, or parts of that region, from the bird’s-eye view; second, it focuses on their position and importance in Dutch Batavia, seen through and assessed primarily on the basis of information from published VOC sources, especially the Dagh-registers (below DR)

As is well known, the DR contains countless entries that provide insights into the structure and trade of Batavia, particularly during the period from 1624 to 1682. Comparably detailed sources with information on the Chinese in other locations of Southeast Asia are rare or non-existent. Therefore, it is unclear to what extent the findings regarding the role of the Batavia-Chinese can be applied to other trading centres. Of course, the author is aware of this but nevertheless assumes that Fujianese, Cantonese and Hakka groups trading between coastal China and maritime Southeast Asia, or operating within the latter, or residing in one of its numerous ports, collectively constituted a major commercial driving force and the most successful ‘ensemble’ or group in this part of the world for much of the 17th century.

It should be noted, however, that the title of the French original uses the term ‘Insulinde’ (roughly modern-day Indonesia), while the English translation replaces this with ‘Southeast Asia’. In other words, caution is advised, as the author is primarily interested in Batavia and a portion of the Southeast Asian island world and less so in structural and other aspects of trade in and around the South China Sea or even further north between China and Japan. Indeed, in her analysis of the extensive data extracted from the DR, de Vienne attempts to clearly distinguish between these three main regions.

The book is divided into five major chapters. The first chapter introduces the principal sources. It then turns to what is called the ‘evolution of two exchange systems’. One system stretched from Sumatra in the west to the Moluccan and Banda islands in the east. The Dutch tried to control this system by force, as the author repeatedly emphasises in her book. The other system was characterised by commodity flows between north and south, from Japan through the Taiwan Strait ‘down’ to continental Southeast Asia, the Philippines and ‘Insulinde’. Chinese groups of different background were involved in both systems almost everywhere. Also, the evolution of their overseas activities depended to some extent on the Ming-Qing conflict and the role of the Zheng clan (1660s to 1680s). The second chapter is short and looks at the ‘main tools of commerce’. This includes such aspects as navigational technologies and sea routes. The third and fourth chapters cover trade flows and the financial sector. Both parts contain numerous tables and charts with data from VOC sources. These statistics refer to the number of Chinese and other ships calling at Batavia, as well as Chinese trade and shipping in other parts of the archipelago beyond Batavia. Information on the goods transported is also included. Taken together, all this data allows for the division of Chinese activity into different periods or cycles. Furthermore, it becomes clear that Bantem was a second important centre for Chinese trading ventures and that the role of Chinese merchants and settlers in ‘Insulinde’ underwent several transformations due to local economic, political and other factors. Besides that, the author discusses the coins and currencies used in financial transactions. Contract forms, the development of credit, prices and profits are further topics. Particular attention is paid to the trade in rice, sugar, cloves, pepper, raw silk, copper and zinc. Trade in finished goods, sandalwood and other commodities is mentioned as well, but not exhaustively. The fifth chapter describes the demographic development of Batavia, again focusing on the Chinese population. It analyses the local labour market, various forms of revenues, the taxation system and tax farming. Chinese settlers were particularly successful in the latter. More generally, they dominated local business, kept the most public houses, were the largest landowners and had a major share in providing agricultural products. All this led to sociological changes. In the middle of the 17th century a local Chinese elite emerged, and the Chinese community grew into a self-managing body with strong family ties to various places in ‘Insulinde’ and coastal China. Chinese social institutions were respected and contributed to social cohesion; more importantly, the Chinese in Batavia were able to live according to their own laws, thus enjoying a kind of privileged status. However, in the last quarter of the 17th century, the situation began to change, primarily due to the growing influence of what de Vienne calls ‘the Dutch-Mardyker Christian bourgeoisie’ (p. 269). Chinese immigration into the hinterland of Batavia presented further problems. As is well-known, it contributed to a gradual estrangement between both the VOC and the Chinese side, but this mainly took place in the 18th century.

De Vienne’s account provides numerous details on the above-mentioned topics. It differs from other studies on historical Batavia through its systematic integration of quantitative and qualitative aspects. Although there are now significantly more studies on the Chinese in ‘Insulinde’ than in 2008, the present work nevertheless still offers a good introduction to the subject. In some respects, it appears to be more reliable and balanced than related works by Dutch and other scholars — particularly since de Vienne demonstrates that the Chinese in 17th century ‘Insulinde’ represented a connective and peaceful force, in stark contrast to the early Dutch who were hardly distinguishable from pirate groups. Against this backdrop, it is regrettable that the original French version of de Vienne’s book received little attention in the Anglophone world. The present translation will hopefully change this. Also, it could stimulate new comparative research that combines the role of Batavia with the findings of Spanish authors on the Chinese in Manila and those of Chinese scholars writing on the so-called fanfang 番坊, or ‘foreign quarters’, in Asia’s port cities.