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    The Explorations of Admiral Zheng He

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    Levi Tasman

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    The Explorations of Admiral Zheng He

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    6 views4 pages

    The Explorations of Admiral Zheng He

    Uploaded by

    Levi Tasman

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    The Explorations of Admiral Zheng He

    Six hundred years ago, Admiral Zheng He led Chinese sailors on seven extraordinary expeditions to
    India, Arabia, and Africa. At the time, Chinese ships, called junks, were far more advanced than
    European vessels. Sailing those magnificent ships, Zheng He traded with countries on two continents.
    But suddenly, in the 1430s, the Chinese stopped trading and exploring. What happened?

    The year was 1405. Admiral Zheng He stood on


    the deck of his ship. At almost seven feet in
    height, Zheng He towered over everyone around
    him. People who knew him said, “His eyebrows
    were like swords and his forehead wide, like a
    tiger’s.” When he gave an order, his sailors
    obeyed immediately.

    From his deck, Zheng saw his ships spread


    behind him as far as he could see. He looked
    with pride at the vessels that followed his out of
    the harbor of Luijia, near Nanjing, China’s capital.
    They carried about 28,000 people. The fleet was
    heading for the cities of India.

    “Treat Distant People with Kindness”


    Zheng He was known as the “Admiral of the
    Western Seas.” He led the greatest fleet of
    merchant vessels up to that time. The man who
    sent out the fleet was Emperor Chenu, a bold
    and ambitious leader. Chenzu wanted his people
    to explore the world and expand trade. In 1403,
    he ordered his royal carpenters to build a huge
    fleet. For the next three years, they tackled this
    vast job.

    The emperor selected Zehen He to be the


    admiral of this powerful new fleet. The two had
    been friends since boyhood. Zheng came from a Muslim family in western China. When the Chinese defeated
    the Mongols in the region in 1382, they took Zheng prisoner and brought him to Chengzu’s court. The two boys
    hunted and rode horses together, and soon became good friends.

    Later, Zheng He served in the Chinese army. He showed a talent for strategy, and commanded the respect
    and obedience of others. He also won Chenzu’s complete trust.

    The emperor directed Zheng He to sail west to faraway lands, “confer presents,” and “treat distant people with
    kindness.” We know the emperor’s exact words because Zheng He carved reports about the expeditions into
    stone tablets that still exist. Chenzu ordered merchants across China to supply trade goods for the expedition.
    These goods included silk, cotton, wine, tea, silk robes, and porcelain.
    The Greatest Fleet in the World
    Zheng He’s ships were far more technologically advanced than
    were European ships of that time. The largest vessels in his fleet
    were the treasure ships. They were enormous, measuring about
    400 feet long and 160 feet wide. In contrast, the Santa Maria,
    Christopher columbus’ flagship, was about 85 feet long. The
    treasure ships had 9 masts and 12 sails of red silk. Each vessel
    had more than 50 luxurious staterooms for officers and
    merchants.

    As the fleet sailed out of Luijia Harbor, Zheng He set a course


    toward Calicut, a city-state on the west coast of India. The most advanced navigation tools in the world helped
    them sail across the Indian Ocean. Ninety years later, Columbus wouldn’t have equipment as good as Zheng
    He’s.

    The key was the magnetic compass. The Chinese invented this essential tool in the 11th century. The
    compass allowed the Chinese to steer their ships even under cloud cover.

    Chinese sailors could also figure their latitude, or the distance north of the equator. Each evening thy took
    readings to find the North Star’s position above the horizon. The closer the star’s position to the horizon, the
    farther south they were. The farther the star’s position from the horizon, the farther north they were.

    Success in India
    Zheng He and his fleet reached Calicut in late 1406. Calicut was wealthy, and its merchants had fabulous
    goods to trade, such as spices. Eagerly the Indian merchants boarded Zheng He’s ships and drove hard
    bargains. But the bargaining was always honest. One observer wrote that they “have all joined hands and
    sealed our agreement with a handclasp.”

    Zheng He returned in triumph from India in 1407. Along with trade goods, he brought ambassadors from
    Calicut and other Asian countries. All of them paid tribute to Emperor Chengzu and gave him gifts. Zheng He
    had expanded China’s influence all the way to India. The Chinese celebrate him as a great hero.

    Sailing to Arabia and Africa


    Zheng He made a total of seven
    voyages of discovery. His second
    and third expeditions, which took
    place between 1407 and 1411. Built
    on the success of the first. On the
    third voyage, Zheng He sailed to
    the South Asian kingdoms of
    Malacca and Ceylon (now Sri
    Lanka).

    In 1412, the emperor began to plan


    the fourth expedition, which
    included 62 ships. In 1414, after
    two years of preparation, Zheng He
    launched his fleet. This time he sailed beyond India to Hormuz, a wealthy Arabian city. Chinese merchants on
    this expedition traded for pearls, rubies, sapphires, and beautiful carpets.

    Ind addition, Zheng He wrote, “hormuz presented lions, leopards with gold spots, and large western horses.”
    On their way back home to China, one of Zheng He’s officers received another gift for the emperor; a giraffe.
    The Chinese marveled at the creature’s long neck and believed that it was a ​quilin​, or mythical creature.

    When Zheng He returned to China, the emperor and the people again welcomed him as a hero. In 1416, he
    left on his fifth voyage, again to Arabia. But this time the fleet continued to eastern Africa.

    When Zheng He reached the city of Mogadishu in Somalia, the city’s leaders refused to welcome him.
    Angered, he launched explosives over the walls of the city. Finally Mogadishu’s doors opened to him.
    According to Zheng He, “Mogadishu presented … zebras as well as lions.”

    Zheng He made his sixth voyage in 1421. Partway through the expedition, however, he returned to China to
    help Emperor Chengzu celebrate the opening of Beijing, China’s new capital. In 1424, Emperor Chengzu died,

    ending the men’s nearly fifty-year friendship.

    Disagreements over Expeditions


    The new emperor did not share Chengzu’s adventurous spirit, and put a stop to Zheng He’s voyages. When
    that emperor died in 1426, however, his successor allowed Zheng He to resume exploring. The admiral, now
    over sixty, mad his seventh and final voyage in 1431 to the southern coast of Arabia. He and his crew were
    also received by the sultan of Egypt.

    But the years had caught up with Zheng He. He died on the way home to his country. Although he would never
    see China again, it was reported that this final words were “It is good to die at home, here at sea.” Rather than
    waiting for burial back at China’s capital, Zheng He would be buried at sea by his crew.

    By 1435, another new emperor was on the throne, and China began to turn inward. The new leadership was
    very traditional. They claimed that China already had the best of everything and had no need to trade. The
    royal government even destroyed Zheng He’s records of his voyages because they feared that they might
    inspire others. In 1525, the emperor ordered all ships capable of ocean voyages to be destroyed.

    China was increasingly isolated from the rest of the world and began a long decline. Only in the last decades
    has China, once again, begun to reach beyond its own borders. Now, it is a major trading partner with the
    United States and other nations. Today, the spirit of Zheng He is alive and well.

    Voyages of Discovery, 1405 - 1521


    Explorer Number of Ships Number of Crew

    Zheng He (1405-1433) 48 - 317 28,000

    Christopher Columbus (1492) 3 90

    Vasco da Gama (1498) 4 170

    Ferdinand Magellan (1521) 5 265

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