the markets of China. However, the attack failed; the Dutch sufíered significant losses, they withdrew and turned to the Pescadores and Taiwan instead. The articles in the first section of that part analyze various sources related to the events in and around Macau. Some of these sources, it is well known, provide conflicting news. Rui Manuel Loureiro's contribution, which opens this section, deals with many details and the ways in which they were presented in written records. That is followed by Rogério Miguel Puga's analysis of the early English interests in China and Japan, the so-called the Fleet ofDefence (1619-1622), and the brief war itself. Finally, Elisabetta Colla examines the report by the Dominican Friar Álvaro (António) do Rosário, which is a first-hand witness account of the battle and thus a key source to understanding what was going on. The following section begins with a general article by Roderich Ptak. It pinpoints the importance of this event, wondering what would have happened ifthe Portuguese had not defeated the Dutch in 1622. This hypothetical scenario triggers a thorough discussion of assumed developments and their possible consequences within a Sino-European framework of 'counterfactuar history. There then follow two contributions in Portuguese Language: the study by Jin Guoping 金国平 on a Sino-Dutch "encounter" near Amoy in October 1622. This is based on new epigraphical material and other sources which reveal strong opposition against the Dutch. The final article, by Teresa Sena, is a very long and detailed account that focuses on how the 24th of June, the day of Macau's victory over the Dutch, has been remembered in more recent times, as a key event in Macau?s distant past and an element shaping local identity. While we tried to maintain a consistent format in editing the papers in this volume, we also granted individual authors freedom in certain aspects of their contributions. This includes adding an introductory note at the beginning, classifying sources in the bibliography with a focus on ancient Chinese works where applicable, deciding on the extent of footnotes used, and determining the order of presentation for Chinese texts and their corresponding translations, based on the paper's objectives. In sum, our approach balanced adherence to a consistent format with flexibility in editorial decisions. We are grateful to the CCCM for accepting such an arrangement and hope that readers will be satisfied with it as well. We also thank Dr. Isabel Pina for her usefíil suggestions and strong support, as well as Roderich Ptak, for providing some advice. During the production of this volume, 13
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