Zheng He Voyages

From the years 1405 until 1433, the Chinese explorer Zheng led several ocean expeditions for the Ming emperor that are unmatched in world history. These explorations were astonishing as much for their distance as they were for their size. It was during the first ones, the Chinese explorer Zheng He traveled all the way from China to Southeast Asia and then on to India in which to trade with all the of the major trading sites on India's southwest coast. On his fourth voyage, Zheng He traveled to the Persian Gulf to set about a trading relationship with the Arabs. With these routes set up and secured he set out for the three last voyages, and Zheng He went even further and ended up on the eastern coast of Africa. This should have been impressive
They carried with them as many as twenty-eight thousand people. They were said to have as many as nine masts and capable of carrying all the goods that would be needed along with the way as well as the tributes that would be needed. These ships were giant wooden hulks that had a heavy ballast, long keel and a v shaped hull. These ships were the work horses of the flotilla that Zheng He commanded. These ships would carry everything from basic tools to luxury bed goods. In return they would obtain exotic spices used for making different remedies, precious stones, different woods and exotic animals. While Zheng He would not return to china because he would die at sea his ships returned to China at the end of his voyages where they would find a new emperor who was uninterested in his expeditions along with a court who distrusted the eunuchs, who supported the voyages. This lead to an order that his ships be put out to harbor and left to rot. The knowledge was forgotten as craftsmen who had once built these mighty ships began to pass away. New military threats came from the Mongols in the north and the ministers argued that resources needed to focus on land defenses instead of sending men and resources around the
He enriched their geographical knowledge single handily and broadened their horizons. With his accounts and his crews accounts the Chinese were able to begin to understand the world around them along with the local geological situation, the religious beliefs of those that did not reside in China, the folk customs and traditions of those that were different from china and weather information which was brought to the forefront. Also with Zheng He being seen as the first true intercontinental navigator he turned world navigation from that of continent navigation to ocean navigation. He would be seen as the forerunner to explorers like Christopher Columbus, Vasco De Gama and Ferdinand Magellan, and he would be seen as making great contributions to ancient Chinese navigation. With the accolades that Zheng He left on China what did he leave on the world? He left the Muslim faith in many places he visited. He also left Ming-style architecture in many places he visited. Overall though it is safe to say that Zheng He left more on China than he did on the rest of the world and it wouldn’t be until later in history that China would realize that. Finlay, Robert. "The Voyages of Zheng He: Ideology, State Power, and Maritime Trade in Ming China." Journal of The Historical Society 8, no. 3 (2008): 327-47. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5923.2008.00250.x.

"Chinese Treasure Fleet Adventures of Zheng He Documentary." YouTube. 2013. Accessed September 19, 2016.