Importance of Zheng He's Expeditions
By Lars Mazurek
Zheng He Ma He was born in Kunyang, China in 1371, he was raised in the last Mongol hold in China. This changed when it was reconquered when he was 10 by soldiers of the Ming dynasty. He was captured by the soldiers along with the other boys and castrated and sent into the army. He proved himself to be skilled in war and diplomacy during his time as a junior officer. In 1400, the Jianwen emperor was overthrown and the Yongle emperor came into power. Their economy was restored after having been devastated by several years of war. The Ming court wanted to display their Naval power while simultaneously bringing in the states of southern Asia in line. The emperor gave Ma He the surname Zheng and he was chosen to commander of chief of their missions to the western oceans. He eventually died in Calicut in 1433.
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Zheng He with his Treasure ships
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Zheng He using a map as a navigational tool for his expedition
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Zheng He's ExpeditionsZeng He made seven large expeditions to the Indian ocean basin
First Voyage- Took place in 1405, visited Champa (Vietnam), Siam (Thailand), Malacca (Meleka), and went back through Sri Lanka and returned to China in 1407. Second Voyage-Took place between 1408-1409, visited Calicut (Southern India) and was faced with treachery from king Alagonakkara of Ceylon. Zeng He defeated his forces and took him captive. Third Voyage-Took place in 1409, visited Hormuz on the Persian Gulf, and when he returned in 1411, he passed though Sumatra. Fourth Voyage- Took place in 1413, he went westward from India to Hormuz and some of his fleet went southward down the Arabian coast, the main fleet visited Mecca and went on to Egypt. He returned to China on 1415 with envoys from more than 30 different states of south and southeast Asia . Fifth Voyage- Took place between 1417-1419, revisited the Persian gulf and the east coast of Africa. Believed to have been primarily for trading. Sixth Voyage- Took place in 1421, visited India, southeast Asia, and Africa. The gal was to take home the foreign emissaries from China. In 1424, the Yongle emperor died and the successor was the Hongxi emperor. Seventh Voyage- Took place in 1431, visited states of Southeast Asia, India, and the Persian gulf. He died in Calicut in 1433. |
College Board theme- Zheng He’s main goal was to show off China’s power and to unify their empire by spreading China’s influence. Not only basic goods were traded along these trade routes, religion and sickness were brought to different countries by travelers. Zheng he discovered new trade routes and popularized previously discovered ones. He was sent by China to spread their power and to bring back industrial goods from their neighbors. Zheng He being a muslim himself helped greatly when trading with Islamic territories. This led to alliances and trade routes seen today and major cities becoming port cities to this day.
Comparison/Connection- It is very comparable to when other empires use a show of strength to intimidate and control others. This is very similar to during war when armies send troops to control areas and and to show their strength. This is Zheng He's goal, to spread china's influence and to show China's strength to the Indian ocean basin.
Analysis- Based on the information above, you can see that Zheng He changed the Indian ocean basin forever, and spread China's influence to places that it is still present in today. He changed the cultures of the places he visited and changed much more than just the trade routes. He caused differences in the places that he visited and brought culture from every place he had been before, to the places he visited next. He did much more than just show off China's Navy and yet he is still almost unrecognized today.
Comparison/Connection- It is very comparable to when other empires use a show of strength to intimidate and control others. This is very similar to during war when armies send troops to control areas and and to show their strength. This is Zheng He's goal, to spread china's influence and to show China's strength to the Indian ocean basin.
Analysis- Based on the information above, you can see that Zheng He changed the Indian ocean basin forever, and spread China's influence to places that it is still present in today. He changed the cultures of the places he visited and changed much more than just the trade routes. He caused differences in the places that he visited and brought culture from every place he had been before, to the places he visited next. He did much more than just show off China's Navy and yet he is still almost unrecognized today.