Zheng He

Recovery in China Ming China Political Development Mongols collapsed in 1368. Hongwu established the Ming Dynasty. Erase memory of Mongol occupation. Confucian education and civil service reinstated. Private merchants traded and manufactured porcelain, silk, and cotton. Ming “Brilliant” Dynasty lasted until 1644. Intellectual Development Neo-Confucianism promoted Yongle Encyclopedia promoted Chinese traditions. Jesuit missionaries (Mateo Ricci) introduce European technology and beliefs. Wider production of printed materials. Novels written in Chinese.

Exploration “ Comeback Back” Tours (7 between 1405 -1433). Massive naval and trade fleet headed by Zheng He, a Chinese Muslim eunuch. Established tributary relations with regions throughout the eastern hemisphere. Voyages ended in 1433 as Confucian bureaucrats claimed foreign interests had no value to China and military resources should be directed towards protecting northern frontier from attack. Recovery in China Ming China

Zheng He and the Treasure Fleet Voyages...

Chinese Maritime Tradition

This ship cruised Chinese canals in 618 CE linking the southern “rice bowl” and the northern plains.

The “Dragon Fleet” was used as an intimidating weapon and actually shot flames from its mouth.

Emperor Yang’s ship was pulled by 80,000 men, had 4 decks, a throne room, and 120 exquisitely decorated rooms for concubines.

Guess the Fib! You Guessed the FIB!

Artifacts, particularly ceramics, and archaeological evidence, primarily shipwrecks, indicate the presence of strong maritime ties throughout Southeast Asia. There was extensive commerce from the eastern coast of China, to Korea, Japan and Australia . Chinese maritime activities appear to have gained their footing near the end of the Song Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.).

But it was the subsequent Mongol emperors (the Yuan dynasty of c. 1271-1368) who commissioned the first imperial treasure fleets and founded trading posts in Sumatra, Ceylon, and southern India. When Marco Polo made his famous journey to the Mongol court, he described four-masted junks with 60 individual cabins for merchants, watertight bulkheads, and crews of up to 300.

The Emperor, Wan Shengzi, was noted for his open-door trade policies with foreign nations. As a result, Chinese port cities grew in size and importance. Shipbuilding in the southern Fujian province was well established by the time of the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644 A.D.). The Port City of Guangzhou

But the real peak in Chinese maritime prowess is symbolized in the extraordinary tale of one man: Admiral Zheng He . During his 28 year naval career, Admiral Zheng visited 37 countries, traveled around the tip of Africa into the Atlantic Ocean and commanded a single fleet whose numbers surpassed the combined fleets of all Europe.

Zheng He I was born in 1371 to poor Muslim parents in Southwest China. I was captured as a young boy by the Chinese Army and castrated to become a Eunuch. Nonetheless, I dedicated myself to my studies, learning several languages and philosophy. My Name is Zheng He and this is my story!

In 1382, at the age of 11, I was made a servant of a prince who would later become Yongle, Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

Zheng, as my most trusted servant, I will make you Admiral of the Western seas” if you “Guess the Fib!”

I rebuilt the Grand Canal and Great Wall.

I made peace with the Mongols developing a lucrative trade network throughout Asia.

I Built the Forbidden city at Beijing, which took 1 million laborers 15 yrs to complete.

I wrote a bestselling manuscript called the Yongle Encyclopedia.

Guess the Fib! You Guessed the FIB!

The Treasure Fleet Now, as Admiral of our fleet, you must sail to “the countries beyond the horizon,” all the way to the end of the earth. Your mission is to display the might of Chinese power and collect tribute from the "barbarians beyond the seas." I accepted Emperor Yongle’s mission and in 1405 began my first expedition!

No nation on earth had ever sent such a fleet onto the ocean. It included 62 large ships, some 600 feet long, larger than any other on the seas. Hundreds of smaller vessels accompanied them. A Chinese historian described them; "The ships which sail the Southern Sea are like houses. When their sails are spread they are like great clouds in the sky."

The flagship of the fleet was a nine-masted vessel measuring 440 feet. In comparison, Columbus’ St. Maria was eighty-five feet.

My voyages became an example of the power and greatness of the Chinese civilization. Click Here for A Closer look! We established many maritime inventions, including central rudders, watertight compartments, various new types of sails, paddle wheels and even armor plated boats. All these developments made long distance navigation possible.

The Treasure Fleet Voyages My First naval expedition lasted two years (1405-1407) and comprised of 317 ships with 27,870 men. My first port of call was in Champa (Vietnam). I saw many Chinese who had emigrated from the coastal provinces since the time of the Tang Dynasty and had already spread Confucian ideals. Champa’s ruler willingly offered tribute for the Chinese emperor. These are my ships, as depicted in a Chinese woodblock print in the early 17 th century.

While voyaging to India, the ships encountered a ferocious hurricane. Zheng He prayed to the Taoist Goddess known as the Celestial Spouse. In response, a "divine light" shone at the tips of the mast, and the storm subsided. This heavenly sign -- perhaps the static electrical phenomenon known as St. Elmo's fire -- led Zheng He and his crew to believe that his missions were under special divine protection. FUN FACT!

By the time I returned to China, I sailed to Java, Sri Lanka and Calicut, I battled and captured pirates, and I established massive warehouses in the Straits of Malacca. At each civilization I visited, I was to present gifts from the emperor and to exact tribute for the glory of the Ming. This is a painting depicting my return to China

One of my greatest Voyages was my fourth in 1413-1415. With 63 ships I reached Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. Many artisans strung together exquisite pearls and merchants dealt in precious stones and metals.

While I lingered in the city to amass treasure for the emperor, I sent Yang Min to Bengal. He returned to China with a _______ that the Bengali King received from the ruler of Malindi. When the _______ arrived at the court in Nanjing, the scholars identified it as the fabled unicorn, an animal that symbolized an age of exceptional peace and prosperity. As the fleet laid treasures from Arabia and India at the feet of the emperor, this omen must surely have seemed fitting. Giraffe Giraffe

When foreign ambassadors came to the Chinese court, they "kowtowed" as they approached the emperor. (The required process of "kowtow" was to kneel three times and bow one's head to the floor three times at each kneeling.) In return for tribute from other countries, the emperor sent gifts and special seals that confirmed their rulers' authority. These foreign kings were officially made part of the Ming Dynasty. FUN FACT!

From 1405-1433, I made seven voyages reaching Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Java, Ceylon, India, Persia, Arabia, Egypt, and East Africa.

Unfortunately, Emperor Yongle died in 1424, ending all naval expeditions until 1431. Then, during my seventh and final voyage in 1431-33, I died returning from Sri Lanka. A stamp depicting the many voyages of my Treasure fleet.

After Zheng He died, the Treasure Fleets were dismantled and banned from being used. Government sponsored voyages ceased and all official records of Zheng He’s travels were destroyed. Why do you think the Chinese decided to isolate themselves and discontinue the Treasure Fleet voyages?

Chinese influence on the world ceased, thus opening the door for the rise of European superpowers . By the year 1500, Columbus had discovered the New World and Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese sailor, had entered the Indian Ocean and laid the groundwork for an era of Asian colonization by European naval powers

FUN FACT! Today, Zheng he is honored throughout the world including this statue in Singapore and Chinese gold coin.

Zheng He’s story has recently drawn much popular attention because of a new book published in 2002 by Gavin Menzies, a British former submariner. 1421: The Year China Discovered America . The book claims, among other things, that Zheng He “discovered” America and circumnavigated the earth much earlier than the Europeans. Did the Ming Empire actually reach the West? New Findings? Wow! If this Theory is true, it will rewrite history!

Neoconfucianism and Chinese Expansion

Politics – Arguments for ending voyages

A. Scholar-Gentry saw exploration as a _____________ project

E. Suspicious of outside trade – could cause instability and undermine authority – creates problems, not opportunity. D. Some Chinese believed China was already _______________ and there was no need for exploration. C. Trips were extremely ____________________. B. Exploration was just one man’s interest (Emperor Yongle) not the push of an entire civilization. Eunuch Self-Sufficient Costly F. Scholar-Gentry thought money and focus should be on protecting the northern border from _________ invasions. Mongol

“ If the People are underfed, it is because the merchants have prospered and agriculture has been neglected.” II. Culture – Arguments for ending voyages A. Scholar-Gentry believed ________ was primary form of wealth

Farming was more noble than trading.

1. Merchants could not keep up a ________________ (against neoconfucian ideals).

2. Merchants could not perform religious rituals for ancestors overseas

3. Merchants live off other people’s hard work - parasites

land Family Shrine

Role of Women – did not want women in market place

1. Strict role for women as homemakers

2. Practiced __________________ on elite women

D. Neoconfucianism did not have _______________ impulse of Christianity or Islam. C. Scholars thought that inferiors should seek superiors Missionary Why did the Confucian Scholar-Gentry believe it was embarassing for Chinese diplomats to travel to foreign lands? Footbinding

The Treasure Fleet What would you need if you were preparing a journey into unknown territory? How would you plan on meeting those crucial needs? Click Here for Film Clip Go Back

Political Developments By 1400, regional states were developing into powerful monarchies. Taxed citizens directly and maintained standing armies. Spanish Reconquista put Spain back in the hands of Iberian Catholics and not the Moors. Italian city states grew wealthy from trade. Florence, Milan, Venice. Competition between nations led to innovative weapons, ships, and other technology that would allow Europe to exert its influence world wide. The stage was being set for a GLOBAL SHIFT IN POWER STILL FELT TODAY. Reconquista de Granada Europe Recovery and Renaissance in Asia and Europe, 1450

Intellectual Development The Renaissance / “Rebirth” Sparked by renewed contact with classical Greek and Roman heritage via the Islamic world and trade. Increased wealth led to more resources begin devoted to the arts. Humanism: Stressed the importance of human existence. Reflected in art and literature. Italy’s favorable trading location gave rise to the Renaissance. Medici family of Florence. Painting, science, and sculpture flourished. Michelangelo Davinci Recovery and Renaissance in Asia and Europe, 1450 Europe

European Exploration Questioning spirit of Renaissance inspired Europeans to look outward and explore. Major Motivations: GLORY, GOLD, GOD. Portuguese: Find a trade route bypassing the Middle East and middlemen. Prince Henry the Navigator promoted expeditions along African coast. Portugal was first European nation to sail around tip of Africa and into Indian Ocean for trade. Spanish: Ferdinand and Isabella and Columbus’ journey. Western Route to Asia, 1492. Columbus at the court of Ferdinand and Isabella Europe Recovery and Renaissance in Asia and Europe, 1450