Everybody knows that Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred ninety-two. But, do you know about Zheng He who sailed the South China Sea with his huge navy?
Zheng He was a Chinese admiral during the 14th and 15th centuries. He led expeditions throughout the South China Sea and Indian Ocean under the direction of Emperor Zhu Di. Before He’s voyages, China had an isolationist policy in which foreign travel and trade was forbidden.
He led a total of seven different voyages with landings throughout southeast Asia and the Middle East. Zheng He’s first and second voyages took him, along with a fleet of about 300 ships, to Calicut (India). Along the way, stops were made in Champa (southern Vietnam), Siam (Thailand), Malacca, and Java. In these cities, the fleet purchased spices like cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and pepper to bring home to China. The success of these two voyages prompted to approval of He’s subsequent trips to south Asian and Middle Eastern trading ports.
He’s third voyage took him to the Persian Gulf where he traded for ebony, lakawood, and aloewood in exchange for Chinese porcelain and silk. He’s fourth expedition was the largest and most successful at that point in history. His fleet sailed to India, Sumatra, and Hormuz to acquire sapphires, rubies, topaz, coral beads, amber, and carpets.
During He’s fifth venture out to sea, he stopped in Aden on the Arabian coast to barter for gemstones, pearls, coral amber, and even a giraffe. He’s shortest adventure would be his sixth. His only objective was to bring envoys back to their respect countries under the order of Emperor Zhu Di. All He’s expeditions would be suspended indefinitely once Zhu Di passed away.
Zheng He’s seventh voyage would be his last. He was told to “explore the distant lands beyond the seas”. Once the fleet arrived in Calicut they split into two groups. But, Zheng He stayed behind due to his deteriorating health. He soon died. However, his place of death remains a mystery. It is unknown whether He died while in Calicut or during his return to China.
Few people not studying the Age of Exploration know who Zheng He is. But those who do, know Zheng He as the greatest explorer nobody has ever heard of.
Sources:
http://exploration.marinersmuseum.org/subject/zheng-he/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zheng-He
Interesting article! I didn’t know this about Zheng He.
I remember vaguely learning about Zheng He a bit in global! He was truly so interesting, and deserves more credit! Cool article 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing! I didn’t know he had made so many voyages. What an amazing story!
I remembered learning about Zhang He and his voyages in my AP Euro class, but this article addresses everything about Zhang He ( in-dept) It is nice to read some articles like this.