The Treasure Voyages of Admiral Zheng He
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34 July 4 – 17, 2014 EPOCH TIMES Values Virtues The Treasure Voyages of Admiral Zheng He By Yue Qing Epoch Times Staff I n 1405 (early Ming Dy- nasty), the Admiral Zheng He led a treasure fleet of over 240 ships and almost 28,000 crew members on the first of a series of far-reaching maritime voyages. e fleet would go on to com- plete a total of seven voyages over the next 28 years, visit- ing more than 30 countries in and around the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. is epic journey would become known throughout history as “e Treasure Voyages of Zheng He”. Zheng He was a pioneer in sea navigation, and his treasure voyages represented one of the greatest maritime pinnacles of that era. More impressive is the fact that the Ming voyages took place 80 years before the ex- peditions of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama and Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. Compared to the West, the Ming Dynasty was considerably advanced in na- val technology, including sea navigation, ship organisation, naval architecture, and propul- sion. is, along with the Ming Dynasty’s impressive fleet, marked China as the preemi- nent maritime power in the region for centuries. e Treasure Fleet In 1402, fresh into his reign, the Emperor Yongle conceived the idea of constructing a large treasure fleet that would sail the oceans, representing the power of the Ming Dynasty. e ships in the treasure fleet were of immense scale and me- ticulous organisation, at a level that surpassed their Western counterparts. Ma Huan, a translator who accompanied Zheng He on his voyages, wrote in his book Yingyai Shenglan that the larg- er treasure ships were 44 zhang and 4 chi (137 metres) long and 18 zhang (55 m) wide. ese dimensions were twice as long as the largest European ships at the end of the 16th century. Each treasure ship had nine 27-metre masts and 12 square sails. e ships weighed about 3,000 tonnes each, and were large enough to hold 1,000 men. Ma Huan further describes the 27,670 men that formed the voyages’ crew. ere were seven Grand Directors (taijian) who served as commanders and envoys, assisted by 10 Jun- ior Directors (shaojian) and 53 eunuchs. ere were also two brigadiers, 93 captains, 104 lieutenants, 103 sub-lieuten- ants, two draſters, four astrolo- gers, 180 medical personnel, and 26,802 military soldiers, boatsmen, buyers, and clerks. e Seven Treasure Voyages Zheng He’s fleets visited over 30 kingdoms and territories, including Java, Sumatra, the Sulu Archipelago (Philippines), Pahang (Malaya), Chenla (pre- sent-day Cambodia), Siam, Calicut (South India), Bengal, Sofala (present-day Mozam- bique), Mogadishu (present- day Somalia), Aden (Yemen), and Hormuz (Iran). He trav- elled as far as Eastern Africa, the Red Sea, and Mecca, and, according to some historians, possibly even the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand. e voyages promoted diplo- macy, trade, and the exchange of knowledge between the countries, particularly in Asia and Africa. e flow of trade and knowledge was, in fact, in- strumental in the opening up of the South Asian countries. According to estimates by scholars, the profits that the Ming Dynasty garnered from foreign trade during the voy- ages amounted to 2,300,000 gold taels and 10,000,000 sil- ver taels. In addition the vassal states of Ming China served as ports for the influx of Western goods, such as aloe vera and gold jewellery. Purpose of the Voyages: An Unsolved Mystery ere is still much debate to- day about the actual purpose of the treasure voyages. eories include: 1. Emperor Yongle’s aim to as- sert Ming China’s political and cultural hegemony in the region 2. Locating the second Ming Emperor Jianwen (who was rumoured to have escaped aſter being usurped by Em- peror Yongle) 3. Intimidating the Timurid dynasty (which ruled over present-day Iran), an enemy of Ming China 4. Establishing Chinese colo- nies in foreign territories Most of these theories, how- ever, are postulates from his- torical records, and have no factual basis. We may never know the truth, as the original records of Zheng He’s voyages were destroyed aſter his death. Zheng He led a treasure fleet of over 240 ships and almost 28,000 crew members on a total of seven far-reaching treasure voyages. Copy of a 1418 map charted by Admiral Zheng He, which raises the possibility that he discovered America before Christopher Columbus.
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Epoch Times, Singapore Edition (Issue 490, July 4 - July 17, 2014)
Transcript of The Treasure Voyages of Admiral Zheng He
34 July 4 – 17, 2014 Epoch TimEs
Values Virtues
The Treasure Voyages of Admiral Zheng He
By Yue QingEpoch Times Staff
In 1405 (early Ming Dy-nasty), the Admiral Zheng He led a treasure fleet of over 240 ships and almost
28,000 crew members on the first of a series of far-reaching maritime voyages.
The fleet would go on to com-plete a total of seven voyages over the next 28 years, visit-ing more than 30 countries in and around the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. This epic journey would become known throughout history as “The Treasure Voyages of Zheng He”.
Zheng He was a pioneer in sea navigation, and his treasure voyages represented one of the greatest maritime pinnacles of that era.
More impressive is the fact that the Ming voyages took place 80 years before the ex-peditions of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama and Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. Compared to the West, the Ming Dynasty was considerably advanced in na-val technology, including sea navigation, ship organisation, naval architecture, and propul-sion. This, along with the Ming Dynasty’s impressive fleet, marked China as the preemi-nent maritime power in the region for centuries.
The Treasure FleetIn 1402, fresh into his reign,
the Emperor Yongle conceived the idea of constructing a large treasure fleet that would sail the oceans, representing the power of the Ming Dynasty.
The ships in the treasure fleet were of immense scale and me-ticulous organisation, at a level that surpassed their Western counterparts.
Ma Huan, a translator who accompanied Zheng He on his voyages, wrote in his book Yingyai Shenglan that the larg-er treasure ships were 44 zhang and 4 chi (137 metres) long and 18 zhang (55 m) wide. These dimensions were twice as long as the largest European ships at the end of the 16th century.
Each treasure ship had nine 27-metre masts and 12 square sails. The ships weighed about 3,000 tonnes each, and were large enough to hold 1,000 men.
Ma Huan further describes the 27,670 men that formed the voyages’ crew. There were seven Grand Directors (taijian) who served as commanders and envoys, assisted by 10 Jun-ior Directors (shaojian) and 53 eunuchs. There were also two brigadiers, 93 captains, 104 lieutenants, 103 sub-lieuten-ants, two drafters, four astrolo-gers, 180 medical personnel, and 26,802 military soldiers, boatsmen, buyers, and clerks.
The Seven Treasure VoyagesZheng He’s fleets visited over
30 kingdoms and territories, including Java, Sumatra, the Sulu Archipelago (Philippines), Pahang (Malaya), Chenla (pre-sent-day Cambodia), Siam, Calicut (South India), Bengal, Sofala (present-day Mozam-bique), Mogadishu (present-day Somalia), Aden (Yemen), and Hormuz (Iran). He trav-elled as far as Eastern Africa, the Red Sea, and Mecca, and, according to some historians, possibly even the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand.
The voyages promoted diplo-macy, trade, and the exchange of knowledge between the
countries, particularly in Asia and Africa. The flow of trade and knowledge was, in fact, in-strumental in the opening up of the South Asian countries.
According to estimates by scholars, the profits that the Ming Dynasty garnered from foreign trade during the voy-ages amounted to 2,300,000 gold taels and 10,000,000 sil-ver taels. In addition the vassal states of Ming China served as ports for the influx of Western goods, such as aloe vera and gold jewellery.
Purpose of the Voyages: An Unsolved Mystery
There is still much debate to-day about the actual purpose of the treasure voyages. Theories include:
1. Emperor Yongle’s aim to as-sert Ming China’s political and cultural hegemony in the region
2. Locating the second Ming Emperor Jianwen (who was rumoured to have escaped after being usurped by Em-peror Yongle)
3. Intimidating the Timurid dynasty (which ruled over present-day Iran), an enemy of Ming China
4. Establishing Chinese colo-nies in foreign territoriesMost of these theories, how-
ever, are postulates from his-torical records, and have no factual basis. We may never know the truth, as the original records of Zheng He’s voyages were destroyed after his death.
Zheng He led a treasure fleet of over 240 ships and almost 28,000 crew members on a total of seven far-reaching treasure voyages.
Copy of a 1418 map charted by Admiral Zheng He, which raises the possibility that he discovered America before Christopher Columbus.
