Why Did Zheng He Discover The New World

Zheng He was one of the greatest explorers in the Age of Exploration however, his fame is not widely celebrated today. Zheng He was the powerful and wealthy adviser for Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty. The Emperor sent Zheng He on a mission to travel to foreign lands ranging from the tip of India to the eastern parts of Africa to give them gifts to show China’s power and dominance. He started these voyages in 1405 and eventually captained seven of them before retiring. The Chinese felt that the cost of the expeditions outweighed the benefits.

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

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.

People living the the 15th century had multiple reasons for venturing beyond its confinement of land. Scientific curiosity of the world played a major part in the advancement of naval travel, but it was not the main cause of exploration in these times. The Age of Exploration was sparked by Europeans wanting to find sea routes to East Asia, which they called the Indies. Merchants and crusaders were bringing goods to Europe from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. These trade routes were controlled by the Muslims and the Italians. However, flaws

Many indirect discoverers of the world have been identified. A few of them were the Scandinavians, Marco Polo and the Crusaders. When the Scandinavians found North America approximately around A.D 1000 they formed settlements but were only there for a short period of time. Their settlements were abandoned and no large impact was made. During the time of the Crusades, Europe had desired goods, and silk from the East. These goods had traveled a long way and became intensely expensive for the Europeans, therefore they attempted to find a different source. They attempted to sail downward towards africa and around, but had ended up in the Americas. Their discovery was the beginning of a horrible time for the Natives of America. Shortly after the Europeans found they could sail west another adventurer by the name of Marco Polo began telling people about China, although it

The first of these nations to arrive in the new world was Spain, led by Christopher Columbus. In 1492, Christopher Columbus led the first voyage to the west in search for and alternate route to India, and China. The voyage failed in finding an alternate

The Renaissance and the Age of Exploration brought on new ideas, technology, and tools that allowed the Europeans to travel across sea. The Europeans traveled to Africa in search of grains, spices, ivory, gold and slaves. Upon further exploration they found China. In China they found what they were searching for, they found silk cloth, spices and goods. The Europeans wanted to gain power by expanding their empire and search for gold. New technology, firepower, greed, and curiosity drove the Europeans to explore western

The desire to explore the unknown has been a driving force in human history since the dawn of time. From the earliest documented accounts, ancient civilizations have explored the world around them. Early adventures were motivated by religious beliefs, a desire for conquest, the need for trade, and an unsatisfying hunger for gold. The great Age of Exploration, beginning in the late 1400s, was an important era in the discovery and development of lands yet unknown to the Europeans. During this period, Europe sought new sea routes to Asia in pursuit of economic gain, increased glory, and opportunities to spread Christianity. Although these were motivations for explorers, the impact from the discoveries resulted in significant changes and

a) Marco Polo (Italian adventurer) returned to Europe in 1295, telling of his journey in China. His book with descriptions of goods made him an indirect discoverer of the New World.

During the 15th and 16th century, countries such as Portugal set out to find out more about the world in an era called the “Age of Exploration.” The explorers set out on voyages mainly to find sea trade routes to Asia. Vasco da Gama, Christopher Columbus, and Ferdinand Magellan were the explorers that made the most important breakthroughs. They used different boats, tools, and maps to help them explore.

In the 1500s and the 1600s there were many explorers, Samuel De Champlain was one of them. He was an explorer of the “New World.”

In the world, the age saw many explorers in search of a faster trade route to China, which led to the discovery of North America.

The discovery of the New World sent social, political, and economic shock waves throughout the entire globe. With European powers competing for world dominance, the New World became a battlefield to control a new region's resources as well as its thoughts and ideas. As this unparalleled contest winded down to a close. England and Spain had secured its influence in the Americas and greatly influenced its foundational ethos.

While the Chinese had been traveling as far as Arabia and Africa since 618 AD, the Crusades influenced nations such as Spain to explore new travel. The Spanish had become inspired to discover new trade routes, as well as overtake land,

The voyages of Zheng He were so remarkable because of their size. Everything about them was large, the distance, the ship and the fleet. About 40 - 300 ships sailed at a time including fighting ships, storage vessels and treasure ships. Everywhere he went he distributed gifts to show Chinas wealth. Also, during his voyages he completed his Muslim