Dbq Zheng He's 7 Voyages

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 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,

Ma He as a young man gained high in rank with the trust of Emperor Yongle. Thus, Emperor Yongle gave him power, wealth, loyalty, with the noble name of “Zheng He.” One day the emperor told him to obtain an enormous mission. He was told to lead several ships from Nanjing, China to Mombasa crossing all the seas that follow. He chose to share the idea of the voyages to Zheng He because he wanted him to explore new acreage and to establish

They constructed a massive fleet of trade ships, warships, and sustenance watercrafts to reestablish China to the outside world. On their completion, under the command of Zhen He, they sailed. Calicut, a city in west India known for its spices and unique woods, was the initial terminus that the treasure ships made. Contrary to the Confucian advisors belief that China was an agricultural country, Emperor Zhi Di’s intention was to jump-start business with the Indian Ocean countries. The ship holds came fully packed with the beautiful designs of porcelains and silks for trade. The other voyages sent to Calicut confirmed the close trade union established between China and India. This expedition enhanced the diplomatic relationship of the two

The first reason the voyages of Zheng He do deserve to be celebrated is because of his over the top ships. From an illustration of what his treasure ship might of looked like “it shows it at least being 400 feet” (Doc C). In Zheng He’s comparison chart to other navigators it shows how he had “255 ships when everyone else only had less than 5 ships” (Doc B). Clearly, one can observe that Zheng He only wanted to be the best at everything he did. And with his huge sailing technology he had managed to finally state that about himself. Therefore, Zheng He’s many advanced vessels are worth being celebrated.

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.

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

The voyages of the treasure fleet were not to inhabit foreign lands, but to open up foreign dealings and international relations. Zheng He managed this and even established trading posts in many of the places he stopped at. These trading posts were also used as warehouses to store goods until they could be sold. He also built a chain of dispatch stations the merchants could stop and rest at. The dispatch stations were spaced out so that overnight stays would be easier for travelers and traders. All of this also helped China?s economy by making trades easier for merchants. Chinese authority also spread around the world because many Chinese traders moved out of the country to work in the warehouses.

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.

Many consequences were brought about as a result of these voyages, some were good and some were bad. The most apparent good consequence is that trade with the world was opened up to China. China was also at the summit of its global power, and practically every country paid China homage. However because of China's newfound trading routes, the people became too self-sufficient on overseas goods and this brought about piracy and corrupt trade. Some important government officials would even desert their official decrees to settle in a striking port city or try and make themselves a superior life in a far off place.

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

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,

Emperor Yongle intended to awe the rulers of Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean into sending tribute to China (Dreyer, p. 27). Zheng He and his fleets needed to establish Chinese presence and influences in those countries in order to enforce the tributary system. Although China had no interest in imperial expansion through oceanic exploration like the Europeans did, navy power was traditionally associated with the strength of a nation. Therefore, the gigantic treasure ships, the significant scale of Zheng He’s crew as well as the Chinese goods he brought to the foreign countries all served the political needs to display wealth and power of the Middle Kingdom.

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

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.