How Did Zheng He Influence Trade

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

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.

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

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.

It was ordered by the Emperor that he should explore the eastern part of the world. He was a skilled leader. He carefully planned out his voyages. This shows that he was well prepared to explore and had great leadership skills. He's crew consisted of tenders, military commanders, assistants, officers, doctors, financial officers, and fortune tellers.

Both traded along the Indian Ocean using maritime trade. As the Ming traded along the Indian Ocean, they attained luxuries, for example silver, in exchange for Chinese exports such as cotton, silk and porcelain. The Ming Emperor, Zheng He, also sailed across the Indian Ocean. He is best known for the 7 sailing expeditions, which navigated across the Indian Ocean and the Southeast Asian archipelago. Zheng He's ships carried export goods; silks and porcelains, and he also brought back foreign luxuries such as spices and tropical woods. As for the Ottoman Empire, they also traded along the Indian Ocean; however, with items they had already attained. Armenians and Jews would often go to the port of Izmir, along the Ottoman Empire, and bring wool, beeswax, cotton and silk, causing great traffic. The Ottomans then traded these items in exchange for other luxurious items. Another similarity between the Ottoman and the Ming was why they traded along the Indian Ocean. Both traded along the Indian Ocean due to geography. The Ottomans were located closely to the Indian Ocean; they also had the right technology to trade along it, including ships and compasses. The Ming also traded along the Indian Ocean due to their geography. They were located nearest to the Indian Ocean, which then caused them to trade along it; also Zheng He had also laid out the groundwork for the Chinese to start trading

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.

Although Zheng He was great, Magellan was a better captain overall. Magellan was a Spanish explorer who was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. He set sail on a voyage that was supposed to go around the World, but Magellan was killed before he made it. Although he did not make it around the world, he had the skills to get all the way to the Philippines. Zheng He was a Chinese admiral who led seven voyages. He was also a great captain, but he did not almost make it around the world. Instead, he stayed in the same area and stopped in the same places multiple times.

One extremely prosperous time of the trade in China was in the Ming Dynasty under the reign of Yonglo. This was because during this period, the explorer, Zheng He, was promoting the trade with China and showing off the Chinese culture through goods like silk or ceramic art. He went on seven voyages to places like Southeast Asia, the Indian Coast, the Arabian Peninsula, and East Africa (document 2). One effect of his voyages was the making of a port city called Canton where the Portuguese, Dutch, and English merchants all traded with China. Unfortunately, after the death of Zheng He, the explorations ended due to it being too costly and then came the end of external trade after limiting contact with other places.

Zheng He may have journeyed far, but with little avail compared to competing captains. As the image in The Voyages of Zheng He: 1405-1433 depicts, his ships sailed to only populated areas with very little undiscovered territory (Document A). Unlike other famed explorers, who became popular off of their discovery of new land, Zheng He remained in an area within proximity of China and made no discoveries worth recognizing. In addition, the chart in When China Ruled the Sea shows Zheng He’s mileage compared to Columbus’s (Document B). He traveled nearly two days slower than his fellow explorer, and made far less progress.

Have you ever seen a treasure ship larger than a football field? Crazy right? But yet it was accomplish by a man with the name of Zheng He. Many people do not recognize him because all of his records were destroyed, but he was astonishing. If you ask me, I say we should celebrate the voyages of Zheng He. Why? He spent twenty-eight years of his life traveling and traveled one hundred five thousand, three hundred miles in total! He also had enormous ships, crew members, and seven voyages compared to others. Lastly he brought peace and people together from all places, also made sea trade safer.

Zheng He was a very important man who set out on seven remarkable voyages. His expedition was so remarkable based on its scale, or size. He set out on a journey that was nearly 35,000 miles in length. Every aspect of these extensive voyages was massive. Zheng He had a full naval fleet on each of the seven voyages. Along with his naval fleet, Zheng He complied a substantial food supply for his large ships, of 500 crew members per ship. The ship they used to sail are the largest known vessel on the ocean, in this time period. Also, he brought silks and spices to showcase China's power and wealth.