What happens
This episode of The Pacific Story, first broadcast on August 22, 1943, examines Monsoon Asia, the region of Southeast Asia shaped by seasonal monsoon winds and the cultivation of rice. Narrated portions follow the Arab traveler Ibn Battuta on a long junk voyage that brings him to the city of Angkor. Later segments follow the Portuguese commander Albuquerque as he establishes a foothold at Malacca and a Dutch merchant considers the Portuguese spice routes. The program then turns to the region's farming, population density and history of civilization.
Monsoon Asia: Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Angkor, Malacca, the Indian Ocean and the Indies, from the 13th century to the 16th century
Characters: Ibn Battuta, Albuquerque, Van Minchorten, Owen Lattimore
Listen for: Ibn Battuta's sea voyage and his arrival at Angkor, and Albuquerque's land claim and capture of Malacca
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.