Imperial China Lesson 3 The Mongols in ChinaLesson 3 The Mongols in China The Voyages of Zheng He In...
3
Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies. NAME DATE CLASS Imperial China Geography and History Activity Lesson 3 The Mongols in China The Voyages of Zheng He In the summer of A.D. 1405, Zheng He began the first of seven sea voyages that would take him halfway around the known world. Zheng He had been born to Muslim parents in a rural area in the mountain province of Yunnan in central Asia. He was captured as a boy in 1381 when the Chinese re-conquered territory in the weakened Mongol empire. He was ordered to serve in the army as an orderly [assistant]. Over time, he worked his way up through the ranks and served as a loyal aide and soldier to a Chinese prince who became emperor in 1402. This emperor, Zhu Di, wanted to demonstrate China’s power to the rest of the world and ordered an enormous fleet of ships to be built. Zheng He would lead them on seven voyages across the “Western Oceans.” On the first voyage, Zheng He sailed with a large fleet carrying nearly 30,000 men from Nanjing to what is now Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and India. According to historical accounts, Zheng He’s fleet was so enormous that it covered miles of water. People seeing it on the horizon were amazed at the sight. Individual ships were up to 400 feet long (122 m) and had as many as nine masts. The ships were far larger than the ships European explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama would sail. In fact, those ships could all have easily fit onto the deck of just one of Zheng He’s vessels. With each voyage, Zheng He’s ships traveled farther west. They reached ports in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Iran, Yemen and the east coast of Africa. At each port, traders exchanged goods and information. The fleet took on passengers, too, when heads of state sent envoys, or diplomats, back to China. Zheng He’s own last voyage included a stop in Makkah (Mecca). He died in the spring of 1433 and is thought to have been buried at sea. Historians agree that Zheng He’s voyages were an impressive feat but did not have a lasting impact. They did not establish lasting trade relations between China and other parts of the world as the Europeans would do in the Western Hemisphere a century later. netw rks
Transcript of Imperial China Lesson 3 The Mongols in ChinaLesson 3 The Mongols in China The Voyages of Zheng He In...
Copyrigh
t by Th
e McG
raw-H
ill Com
panies.
NAME DATE CLASS
Imperial China
Geography and History Activity
Lesson 3 The Mongols in China
The Voyages of Zheng HeIn the summer of A.D. 1405, Zheng He began the first of seven sea voyages that would take him halfway around the known world. Zheng He had been born to Muslim parents in a rural area in the mountain province of Yunnan in central Asia. He was captured as a boy in 1381 when the Chinese re-conquered territory in the weakened Mongol empire. He was ordered to serve in the army as an orderly [assistant]. Over time, he worked his way up through the ranks and served as a loyal aide and soldier to a Chinese prince who became emperor in 1402. This emperor, Zhu Di, wanted to demonstrate China’s power to the rest of the world and ordered an enormous fleet of ships to be built. Zheng He would lead them on seven voyages across the “Western Oceans.”
On the first voyage, Zheng He sailed with a large fleet carrying nearly 30,000 men from Nanjing to what is now Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and India. According to historical accounts, Zheng He’s fleet was so enormous that it covered miles of water. People seeing it on the horizon were amazed at the sight. Individual ships were up to 400 feet long (122 m) and had as many as nine masts. The ships were far larger than the ships European explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama would sail. In fact, those ships could all have easily fit onto the deck of just one of Zheng He’s vessels.
With each voyage, Zheng He’s ships traveled farther west. They reached ports in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Iran, Yemen and the east coast of Africa. At each port, traders exchanged goods and information. The fleet took on passengers, too, when heads of state sent envoys, or diplomats, back to China. Zheng He’s own last voyage included a stop in Makkah (Mecca). He died in the spring of 1433 and is thought to have been buried at sea.
Historians agree that Zheng He’s voyages were an impressive feat but did not have a lasting impact. They did not establish lasting trade relations between China and other parts of the world as the Europeans would do in the Western Hemisphere a century later.
netw rks
Copyrigh
t by Th
e McG
raw-H
ill Com
panies.
NAME DATE CLASS
Imperial China
Geography and History Activity Cont.
MakkahJeddah
Aden
CalicutBangkok
Melaka
Chittagong
Hormuz
Mombasa
Malindi
Mogadishu
Quanzhou
NanjingCHINA
INDIA
ARABIA
AFRICA
Java
Borneo Sumatra
Sri Lanka(Ceylon)
I N D I A N O C E A N
PAC I FI CO C E A N
Bay ofBengal
ArabianSea
SouthChina
Sea
EastChina
Sea
PersianGulf
Red
Sea
N
S
EW
0 1,000 km
1,000 miles0
Lambert AzimuthalEqual-Area projection
Exploration routes of Zheng He’s �eet
DOPW (Discovering our Past - World)
RESGChapter 17Map Title: The Voyages of Zheng He, A.D. 1405–A.D. 1433File Name: C16-41A-NGS-824133_A-RESG.aiMap Size: 39p6 x 20p0Date/Proof: Mar 1, 2011 - First Proof
Directions Answer the following questions.
Understanding the Concept1. Listing Where did Zheng He’s fleet travel over the course of seven voyages?
2. Describing What was memorable about the ships in Zheng He’s fleets?
3. Explaining What was the primary purpose of Zheng He’s voyages?
netw rks
Copyrigh
t by Th
e McG
raw-H
ill Com
panies.
NAME DATE CLASS
Imperial China
Geography and History Activity Cont.
Applying the Concept4. Drawing Conclusions After looking at the map, what conclusions can you draw about the locations where Zheng He’s fleet stopped? What conclusions can you draw about the path the fleet took?
5. Evaluating What impact did Zheng He’s voyages have on other states and cultures?
netw rks
