Did the Chinese circumnavigate the world? What challenges did Zheng face? What happened to Chinese exploration after Zheng’s voyages? Does Zheng’s discovery of the New world still hold relevance today? These are the questions historians ask themselves today. Read on for the answers. The Chinese had a long tradition of maritime exploration, and their achievements remain a testament to their skills.
What ended Chinese exploration?
In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, Chinese explorers sailed the seas in search of resources, including oil and minerals, and gems. The maritime Silk Road linked China to many parts of the world. And the Strait of Malacca, an important chokepoint between East and West, became an important port. But as the region’s wealth decreased and the need for new sources of wealth increased, Chinese explorers ceased their expeditions and their explorations, and the Silk Road was the source of China’s economic growth.
After the Ming dynasty’s collapse, economic disaster, peasant uprisings, and Manchu attacks caused China’s age of exploration to come to an end. Emperor Yongle’s death ended the Age of Exploration in China, but not before seven naval expeditions led by the Ming government. These expeditions sought to expand the Chinese empire and establish a foothold, as well as maintain the technology and knowledge of other nations.
Did Zheng He discover the New world?
Did Zheng He discover the New world, or did he simply take a break? Many historians believe Zheng’s voyages ended when European powers divided the world for colonization. However, despite these problems, Zheng’s voyages remain an impressive testament to China’s maritime prowess. Today, this question is becoming more relevant than ever. So, let’s take a closer look at the historical record of Zheng He’s voyages.
The author Gavin Menzies, a historian of Chinese history, believes that Zheng discovered the New World, based on a 1418 map. This map has faced criticism and was widely rejected by academic historians. In fact, one British expert on the Age of Discovery has labelled Menzies a charlatan or a “cretin.”
While Zheng He’s expeditions sailed from China to the west, as far as the Cape of Good Hope, they also displayed the Chinese Ming dynasty’s power. In return, he collected tribute from local barbarians and made trade for exotic woods and silks. While he may not have discovered the New world on his own, his expeditions were very successful.
What challenges did Zheng He face?
Many have argued that Zheng He was a peaceful explorer, but Western observers have characterized his voyages as violent proto-colonialism. There are many interpretations of Zheng, but most agree that he was an early trailblazer of China’s open-door policy. Here are some of the challenges he faced. Getting supplies for the ships was no small task.
First, he had to deal with the emperor’s demand for more treasure. Zheng He was appointed admiral by Emperor Yongle in 1402 and took the name Zheng. He also received command of three hundred and seventeen ships – 440 feet long, with nine masts each – and embarked on a journey across Southeast Asia and into Arabia and East Africa. The Ming court sent him on these voyages to assert their power in foreign lands and develop commercial networks.
The Yongle emperor wanted Zheng He to exert military power in South Asia, and his actions legitimized his usurpation at the Ming court. Zheng He’s expeditions to South Asia include interventions in disputes between Calicut and Cochin, as well as an armed conflict in Sri Lanka in 1410-11. Zheng He also became involved in disputes in Bengal and Jaunpur, as well as other South Asian conflicts. But despite these seemingly benign actions, there is a lot of controversy surrounding Zheng He’s expeditions.
According to a novel by Gavin Menzies, 1421: The Year China Discovered the World, Zheng He had successfully circumnavigated the world seventy years before Columbus. But is this historical claim really true? Menzies claims that the map Zheng made in 1421 shows the world that Zheng actually discovered – including West Africa, the Americas, the Mediterranean, Australia, and Greenland.
The Chinese had many reasons to send ships across the oceans. In 1405, the Yongle Emperor authorized seven voyages by Zheng He. The objective was to spread Ming influence throughout the world and establish a tribute system in the Middle Kingdom. At the time, China was the leading economy and its navy was the best-equipped. Today, the United States has about 400 ships. The Chinese had wind-efficient ships and advanced navigation technologies.
Today, we can understand why western observers were amazed by Zheng He’s voyages, and we can see the reasons why they were not. The first three voyages aim to consolidate China’s emperorship, and to display its military power. The second phase of Zheng’s journey aims to build friendly relationships with other nations and emphasize tribute trade. It is also believed that Zheng was searching for the “Kirin” – a symbolic power object from ancient China, whose presence was a sign of wealth and power.
When did Zheng He stop exploring?
His Voyages played a significant role in China’s diplomatic and trade relations with other countries. His main goal was to spread Chinese culture and awe around the world. However, his voyages ended with his death on his seventh voyage. His voyages were also interrupted by bureaucratic infighting at the imperial court. Confucian scholars were in conflict with the eunuchs who handled China’s commercial relations.
After his first western voyage in 1407, Zheng He built the Tianfei Palace in Nanjing, where he placed a temple to the goddess Mazu. In Liuhe, his tomb is located. The “Tongfan Deed Stele” is an example of the ancient Chinese document. The Stele was submerged, but has since been recovered. The tomb also features a small museum. He also interred his personal possessions in a Muslim tomb inscribed in Arabic.
His voyages took place in a time of massive construction and military expansion, including the building of the new capital of Beijing. This period saw an increase in Yuan Mongol pressure on China, and the relocation of the capital to Beijing further aggravated the Yuan threat. In response, the Chinese began to deploy military expeditions to weaken the Mongolians. Funds for the naval expeditions began to dwindle, and the Ming government resorted to land campaigns. In 1449, Mongolian cavalry attacked and wiped out the Zhengtong Emperor and his army.
What is Zheng He best known for?
In 1405, the legendary Chinese explorer set sail from Liujiagan Port in Taicang, Jiangsu Province. His fleet consisted of 208 vessels, including 62 Treasure Ships and over twenty-seven thousand crewmen. Zheng He’s first voyage traveled from China to Java and Malacca, before continuing to India’s eastern coast. There, he brought back a wealth of goods and diplomats from a number of other countries.
The influence of Zheng would have been even greater had the geopolitical pressures on China not swayed the country’s course. However, his legacy lives on in many forms. In fact, National Geographic contributor Michael Yamashita spent years researching, writing, and producing a multipart documentary on Zheng. The result is a fascinating and detailed portrait of a remarkable man who made his mark on history.
The history of China’s trade and maritime networks largely revolve around Zheng He. The emperor’s most important port, Malacca, was the focus of his voyages and became the center of a trading network that spanned Southeast Asia, as well as the coasts of China. He essentially changed the cultural geography of the oceans and the continent. Further study into trade will likely reveal a much different Asia than is imagined by Eurocentric scholarship.
What good things did Zheng He Do?
The explorer who led voyages across the world before Christopher Columbus is one of China’s most celebrated figures. Born Ma He in 1371, he hailed from the ethnic Hui minority, the Chinese equivalent of the Muslim minority. His parents had lived in the country since ancient times, so their lives are relatively unknown. However, many historians believe that Zheng was an outstanding explorer, who is still considered one of China’s most influential figures.
The emperor’s son sent the seventh voyage in 1431-33 after Zheng He’s death. This voyage featured over 100 large ships and over 27,000 men. He visited most important ports of the South China Sea, including Aden. He also sent an auxiliary fleet that traveled up the Red Sea to Jidda. Sadly, the ship was wrecked during the return voyage to China, and Zheng He was buried on the sea. His legacy lives on in his descendants’ descendants.
While Chinese emigrants were driven from the island kingdom of Guangdong, Indonesians venerated him and built a temple in his honor. The emperor’s tomb was rebuilt in 1509 and a museum dedicated to Zheng He was opened in the city of Nanjing in 2015.
How did Zheng He contribute to global trade?
How did Zheng He contribute to global trading? The story goes that Zheng He abducted the king of Qin and brought him to China to pay tribute to the emperor. In exchange for his freedom, the king agreed to pay tribute to the emperor. Later, when China began to develop a more modern economy, Zheng He made it possible to trade with other countries, including the United States.
Before Zheng He sailed around the world, China had been building enormous ships for a century. The Moroccan explorer Ibn Batuta and the Chinese historian Marco Polo had recorded the existence of giant seagoing vessels in the east. While his ships were small by European standards, some scholars estimate that they were 400 feet long and had 70,000 square feet of deck space. In fact, his ships were bigger than Columbus’ and his fleet.
In the 1400s, Zheng He sailed thousands of miles on ships that were the size of soccer balls. This enabled Chinese innovations to spread throughout Asia and Africa. Zheng’s voyages also established diplomatic ties that lasted throughout history. He’s voyages had a lasting impact on Southeast Asia and established patterns of migration and cultural exchange. As a result, new overseas Chinese communities sprouted at Zheng’s stops. Today, Southeast Asia is home to temples dedicated to Zheng He.
About The Author
Alison Sowle is the typical tv guru. With a social media evangelist background, she knows how to get her message out there. However, she's also an introvert at heart and loves nothing more than writing for hours on end. She's a passionate creator who takes great joy in learning about new cultures - especially when it comes to beer!