Compare And Contrast Zheng He Voyages

The author also mentions that China-based their economy on the exchange of silver. Another important thing in this chapter was the role of the Chinese voyages in the history of China and the entire world. The voyages that were created around the 1400s were used for three reasons,

Both traded along the Indian Ocean using maritime trade. As the Ming traded along the Indian Ocean, they attained luxuries, for example silver, in exchange for Chinese exports such as cotton, silk and porcelain. The Ming Emperor, Zheng He, also sailed across the Indian Ocean. He is best known for the 7 sailing expeditions, which navigated across the Indian Ocean and the Southeast Asian archipelago. Zheng He's ships carried export goods; silks and porcelains, and he also brought back foreign luxuries such as spices and tropical woods. As for the Ottoman Empire, they also traded along the Indian Ocean; however, with items they had already attained. Armenians and Jews would often go to the port of Izmir, along the Ottoman Empire, and bring wool, beeswax, cotton and silk, causing great traffic. The Ottomans then traded these items in exchange for other luxurious items. Another similarity between the Ottoman and the Ming was why they traded along the Indian Ocean. Both traded along the Indian Ocean due to geography. The Ottomans were located closely to the Indian Ocean; they also had the right technology to trade along it, including ships and compasses. The Ming also traded along the Indian Ocean due to their geography. They were located nearest to the Indian Ocean, which then caused them to trade along it; also Zheng He had also laid out the groundwork for the Chinese to start trading

The illustration from When China Ruled of Christopher Columbus’s Santa Maria, and Zheng He’s treasure ship on Document B show you just how ridiculous and overzealous his ships were. According the chart under the illustration on Document B, Zheng He had 255 ships, and a crew consisting of 27,500 people. Too fully comprehend how ridiculous this was, compare it to Christopher Columbus’s 3, 85 feet long ships and 90 person crew. Zheng He’s ships were 440 feet long, and 180 feet wide according to Document C’s illustration by Edward L. Dreyer. Apparently these massive ships could not sail in water more shallow than roughly 20 feet, because the port elevation was 20 feet itself so optimally, the water would have to be 30 feet deep. To understand how large the crew was; the doctor to patient ratio in the United States is

In terms of the Chinese tribute system we examined in class, the leaders of China’s voyages dealt with leaders of countries they visited by treating them based on the tribute gifts they received. Under Confucian civilization, China often received tribute from the foreign states they visited and gave them Chinese products and recognition of their authority and sovereignty in return. There were several tribute states to China including neighboring countries such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Borneo, Indonesia, South Asia and Central Asia. However when countries stopped paying tribute to China, there were often tensions. During the Zheng He expeditions many goods were carried to build tribute relationships between the Ming Dynasty and newly discovered kingdoms. An example of the a tribute gift given was an eyeglass given to Zhu Di by Parameswara of Malaca. “Of all the tributes Zhu Di received that summer from the many envoys

The Chinese and European cultures came together for the first time in the fifteenth century when great Chinese fleets traveled throughout the Indian Ocean and along the coast of Africa. These voyages created much concern for China. They lead to a period of isolation for security reasons. By the time the first Europeans arrived in China there was little to no evidence of these voyages. (Mungello 2005) Fallowing that time the Chinese government proceeded with a policy of containment to the trade merchants and missionaries that would visit them in the coming centuries. This paper will server an explanation to why China and Europe at first embraced each other then rejected each others

He led 255 ships with 27,500 crew members on each of his seven voyages from the time of 1405 BC to 1433 BC. According to Louise Levathes and various other sources, Zheng He’s voyages were significantly larger than, say, Christopher Columbus’s. He led a group of ninety men on four voyages and three ships from the time of 1492 to 1502. In comparison, Zheng He’s voyages were extremely grand. He had many more people to care for and lead. Zheng did not have a lot of help in leading. As stated in Zheng He’s Fleet By Numbers of Document C, there were only seven fleet commanders per voyage. That is eight people to lead 27,492 people. Because of this, Zheng He’s voyages should be celebrated. To lead so many people so successfully is a great

The isolationism brought about dislike of the navy and suspicion for traders. The mandarin "bought cheap and sold dear", meaning they bought cheap goods and sold their own goods for high prices. Admittedly, the reasoning for isolation became evident, as the empire was under pressure from the Mongols. Unfortunately, China could not concentrate extra resources into naval defense due to the fruitless attempt at expanding into modern-day Vietnam. Be that as it may, the Ming Empire adhered to the Confucian ideals, "According to the Confucian code, warfare itself was a deplorable activity and armed forces were made necessary only by the fear of barbarian attacks or internal revolts" (Kennedy 4). Due to this principle, the Chinese abandoned their impressive naval army, leaving it to decay. Be that as it may, Kennedy stated that "It must be noted, however that the Chinese apparently never plundered or murdered" (Kennedy 3). Unfortunately, the neglect paid to the navy led to the super power's downfall. Due to the Ming's edict banning ships with more than two masts, the empire was at a severe naval disadvantage. The Chinese coastline was being attacked by Japanese pirates, but there was no move made to repair their army to prevent further attacks. The decline of the Ming Empire's military paired with the isolationism they adopted created a nation that would not be able to move on with the rest of the world. Isolationism does not breed the innovation or necessary improvements to keep up with the burgeoning West. Due to the lack of enterprise and expansion and the ever-growing population, it became increasingly difficult to keep the intensive farming up to pace with the nation's need. The Ming Empire was replaced by the Manchus in the mid 1600's, but that could not help the rapid decline of the Eastern nation as it fell from

The Neo-Confucians eventually won, in the process retaking the Ming throne. Thus, the Indian Ocean voyages were discontinued by the new rulers who then destroyed Zheng He's travel logs and allowed his monstrous vessels to rot away. This move was motivated by various reasons, chiefly the new rulers' reassertion of the Confucian historical tradition, but also by their greater preoccupation with the continuing Mongol threat in the north, and by the economic problems China was facing as a consequence of the dismantling of the old Yuan/Mongol monetary system, which then became the leading cause behind China's subsequent "need to import silver. It would be left to the Europeans to pick up the ball and continue carrying it forward. The Italians had fascination with East Asia since Marco Polo's sojourn in 1271-1295. China and the northern Italian states had a steady trade network, so Italian merchants and other frequently traveled to China. After the

Coincidently enough, a little over fifty years prior, Zheng He, a prisoner turned commander of the Chinese navy, was infinitely more technologically advanced than Christopher Columbus and the western world with a fleet of 300 ships, a hundred times that of Columbus, of which the largest was about 100 times times of size of its European counter part. Containing technology that Europe would not see until four centuries later and fleet that could not be rivaled for another

Our history classes can only cover so much, yet one of the most important ancient traders of the Ancient World is left out of our curriculum, Zheng He. Originally of Muslim descent, Zheng He was taken from his home and put into the army at a young age, where he quickly rose through the ranks, making his way quickly to the top of the military hierarchy. Diplomacy and peace are necessary when interacting with others, and Zheng He is the only trader/explorer to spread this type of unity between countries. “You may go the way of the heavenly kingdom, strictly abide by [these] words, keep in bounds, and refrain from bullying the weak and share peace and happiness in the world.” This was the edict that the voyages of Zheng He were centered on and

Zheng He made many voyages that were remarkable. They were remarkable because he sailed far, he had big ships, and he covered a lot of land. Zheng He sailed from Nanjing all over the place including, Guangzhou, Calicut, and Mecca. Also the ships called the "treasure" ships were 400 feet long, the size of a football field. Most ships were only 85 feet long. In addition to that they traveled to many different places that shared his Muslim heritage. He was able to spread his beliefs and learn new ones from other Muslim's. Since he got along with the Muslim's, they trusted him and started to trade with China. Therefore Zheng He's voyage was remarkable because of how far he sailed, how big his ships were, and he covered a lot of land. These all

Having grown up an imposing man despite castration at the hands of Chinese soldiers in his youth, the inevitable destiny to live out his life as a eunuch, Admiral Zheng He’s story is both testament of triumph and the inexplicable repulsiveness of human history. Nevertheless, his fortuitous placement with the household of anticipated Yongle emperor would ultimately seed relationships pivotal to his extraordinary future. There, while being provided a formal education, he seized on opportunity and established himself as one of exceptional intelligence and military acumen. At the pleasure of emperor Yongle, Zheng He would eventually lead seven expeditions to Asia, Africa and the Middle East during the early fifteenth century and establish diplomatic

(Fall 1405) Emperor Zhu Di sends Zheng He to lead a maiden voyage across the South China Sea, heading for present-day Vietnam. Zhu Di names Zheng He Admiral, a sign of his immense trust in the eunuch. Zheng He leads a huge fleet of 27,000 men.

Marco traveled from Venice to China using both the Maritime route, as well as the Silk Road. For this paper however, I am solely focusing on Marco Polo’s travels over the Maritime route. More specifically, his reports of the coastal trade, customs, and cultures he encountered through this journey. Provinces of India, the coastal islands of Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and China will be discussed, along with background information of Polo, his itinerary, and an analysis of his findings.

Zheng He served as eunuch in the emperor’s court from 1381 and by 1390; he stood out as an accomplished soldier who was exceptional in war and diplomacy. In 1403, a new emperor rose to power and ordered the construction of a treasure fleet which comprised of fleets of trading ships, warships and support ships which were to be used for foreign travel and trade and appointed Zheng to be the leader or commander of the Treasure fleet . Zheng He’s voyage took place between the 14th and the 15th century but Columbus voyage is believed to have taken place in the late 15th century since the wreckage of Santa Maria, which is believed to be one of Columbus cargo ships dates back to the 15th century .