Chapter 11, The Sultan's Bride Summary and Analysis

A legendary Malaccan tells of the beautiful Chinese woman, Hang Libo, who was brought to Malacca to become the bride of the Sultan Mansur Shah. So that she would not be lonely, her father sent along 500 maidens with her. Eventually they all married and had children and were the source of the large Chinese community that emerged in Malacca. However, there seems to be little veracity to the story. Hang Libo may have just been a lady of the court or a daughter of a Chinese official. The Chinese inhabitants of Malacca probably originated from the many Chinese sailors of the treasure fleet who visited the land. During the seafaring days of the Ming Dynasty, Chinese populations grew in Viet Nam, the Malay Peninsula, Japan and other lands. During the early Ming, emigration was banned...