Dbq Zheng He's 7 Voyages

In the map and chart created by National Geographic titled “China’s Great Armada”, Zheng He traveled to Mombasa Kenya which is ~19,000 miles roundtrip(Doc A). This accomplishment is important because far seafaring expeditions of this extent were nearly unheard of in the 15th century due the lack of technology and knowledge. Therefore Zheng He’s skills as a great explorer are undoubtable. Moreover in the chart it exhibits that Zheng He transversed Calicut, Hormuz, Malindi, Mogadishu, and Mombasa(Doc A). All of these countries were over ~11,000 miles roundtrip and therefore, Zheng He displays that he can consistently travel far distances(Doc A).

Accompanied by 27,000 men on 62 large and 255 small ships, the Chinese eunuch Zheng He, led 7 naval expeditions to Southeast Asia, Middle East and east coast of Africa in the span of 28 years during the Ming Dynasty. The scale of Zheng He’s fleet was unprecedented in world history. The large treasure ships used during the expeditions were purported to be 440 feet long and 180 feet wide (Dreyer, p. 102). Throughout his travels, Zheng He brought Chinese tea, porcelain and silk products to foreign countries and also brought back exotic goods to the Ming court such as spices, plants and leather. Although his voyages fostered commercial trades and cultural exchange between China and foreign countries, the goal of his expeditions stemmed from

There are plenty arguments that support why Zheng He's voyages should be celebrated or should not be celebrated. Zheng He's voyages should be celebrated because of his distance and destination, size of his fleet and treasure ship, and lastly his voyages had a glorious purpose. As a kid, Ma He watched his father die in front of him and then was taken by the Ming Dynasty's invading army. He became close with the leader and Ma He rose through ranks of military and was soon renamed Zheng He. Zheng He deserves a special recognition for his 15th century voyages.

In 1405, Zheng He embarked on a series of expeditions to find and develop new trade routes along the Indian Ocean. The Chinese government provided the funding. To do this, he would have

1519: a Spanish armada of five ships set sail that would soon be the first to circumnavigate the globe. Their captain, a Portuguese noble, was an accomplished student of cartography and astronomy. Europe’s cravings for spices sent Columbus to Asia, and into the barrier that was the Americas. Magellan’s expedition sought to find a way through, on a mission to bring a new trade route and immense wealth to Spain. Through the crew’s starvation, two mutinies against him, and his harsh personality and lack of accomplishment, Magellan proved his life was not worth saving.

China was the most powerful maritime force for almost three decades during the 14th century. The world recognized the Chinese for their fine artisan skills, which included creating stunning porcelains and silks. They also had great marine navigation skills, vast knowledge in astronomy and advanced firepower technology. Before the Ming Dynasty, the Yi citizens of China involuntarily stopped working on the land, hence had to seek for alternatives in the sea for survival. A century before Columbus plus his allied Europeans started their entry into the Modern World, seven voyages of massive castoffs commanded by the eunuch Zheng He ventured through the China Seas to East Africa, throughout Korea and Japan. This occurred between 1405 and 1433, during the reign of Zhu Di. Using their skills, they conquered the forces around the Indian Ocean, making China the naval ruler. In the book When China Ruled the Seas, Louise Levathes explores the historic timeline of China’s dynamic transformation until her rise and dominance as a marine power. Discussed below is China’s overall

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,

During the 15th and 16th century, exploration became the new norm of society. Each individual country had their own motives, reasons and goals regarding voyages across land and sea. For instance, Christopher Columbus, in the name of Spain, voyaged out to find an alternative route to Asia. The Portuguese, tried to increase their knowledge about trading. Moreover, while some traveled to increase their powers, Zheng He, of China, traveled to discover raw resources and generate more capital into China’s economy. If we compare the maritime policies of the kingdom of Spain and Portugal on the one hand and the Ming Empire on the other the differences in motives clearly outweigh the similarities between these two societies. For example, the Kingdoms of Spain and Portugal traveled to spread Christianity, to gain land, to rule over new subjects and to spread their power throughout the different continents, while as the Ming Dynasty was only interested in capital and new/raw resources.

Zheng He, a Chinese explorer, was born in 1371 in the Yunan Province of southwestern China (background essay). When Zheng He was ten years old, his father was killed right in front of him by the Ming Dynasty’s army (background essay). He was then taken prisoner, castrated, and forced to become part of the eunuchs (background essay). As he grew older, Emperor Yongle began to trust him more and more (background essay). The Emperor trusted him to travel by ship and lead a crew down the coast of China and across the ocean to eventually land in India in 1405 (background essay). This was one of the seven voyages he would take (background essay). When asked if Zheng He’s voyages should be celebrated, three factors must be taken into account: skill, scale and significance. Skill is the measure of one’s ability to do something. Scale is the measure of actions taken to preform something. Significance is the meaning of an event. The voyages of Zheng He should not be celebrated because there was no new land discovered, the cost of the trips were expensive and wasteful, and the reasons for the voyages mainly purposed Zheng He himself and Emperor Yongle.

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 the years between 1403 and 1433, a Chinese ship commander by the name of Zheng He made several grand voyages. His voyages had such a large effect on foreigners that they sent gifts to the emperor at that time. This made Zheng He one of the greatest sailors at the time in China because of all the treasure he was bringing back with him. Therefore, should the voyages of Zheng He be celebrated today? Although some would argue that his voyages had no purpose, Zheng He’s expeditions should gain recognition, since he had many gigantic ships, got free gifts, and had made safer sea routes.

Zheng He commanded of one of the largest fleets to explore various regions of the world and established Chinese trading relationships with regions of Southeast Asia, India, Arabia, and Africa. Born around 1371 into a Chinese Muslim family, Zheng He was forced to serve as a eunuch in the emperor’s court, and by 1390, he distinguished himself as a soldier of great skill in matters of diplomacy and battle in the eyes of the emperor.

Zheng He's voyages were so remarkable because he had 7 of them and he led them. They were also remarkable because of their size. Everything about them was remarkable. The distance they traveled, fleet sizes, and ship measurements. They ranged from Southeast Asia to Eastern Africa. 40 to 300 ships sailed in each voyage. Among them were fighting ships, storage vessels, and huge "treasure" ships measuring more than 400 feet

Zheng He made seven voyages that were extremely remarkable in many ways. The most remarkable thing about Zheng He's expeditions was the size. Everything about his expeditions was gigantic. First, the distance they traveled was thousands of miles, ranging from Southwest Asia to Eastern Africa. Next, the fleet size was huge, that contained anywhere from 40 ships to 300 ships. Finally, the ship's size was humongous. Zheng He had some ships that were only 85 feet, but on the contrary, most of his ships were 400 feet long. In addition, ships this length also required a large crew. The crews numbered over 27,000 on some voyages. Crews included sailors, soldiers, carpenters, interpreters, accountants, doctors, and religious leaders. In conclusion,

The naval power of the west was able to combat China’s use of large ships due to the lack in numbers. The innovation of China 's ships, however, due to lack of timber did not cease. They stuck to short water routes to reach midway points. As this happened, the Europeans developed trade patterns and established naval power. This power was used by Christopher Columbus in the discovery of the Americas, despite the fact he failed to find his original goal. He wanted to sail west, and though he failed many times to get sufficient funding, he was able to get Queen Isabel to finance his voyage. His calculations were off and there were doubts as to whether or not the trip would be successful, but despite all this, he managed to reach the New World out of luck. Warehouses allowed larger products to be stored for long periods of time at ports. As immigrants came to the Americas, warehouses provided stability for farmers by allowing housing for goods to trade. The Chinese Government provided incentives for migration, which encouraged many people moved to new Chinese