The Stopped Voyages and the Stopped Social Improving - Essay Example

The Stopped voyages and the Stopped Social Improving Introduction and background of the voyages In the initial years of the15th century, the Ming Empire and China in general had a prosperous culture and booming economy owing to its advanced status in the world. At that time, the Ming Dynasty had a strong Emperor, named Ming Chengzu who saw the need for displaying the national power of the empire and strengthening relations with nations in the west of China by launching marine activities. From 1405 to 1433, Zheng He pioneered seven different envoys to different parts of the world particularly, Arabia, the coast of Africa and Asia (Jessie, 1). The envoys carried large quantities of goods and soldiers to these regions and returned with other items. Apparently, the initiation of the voyages marked a great Chinese historical period in cultural exchanges and trade. The number of ships in each fleet that Zheng led to the Western Sea had about 40 to 60 ships and over 27,000 people. In each envoy, Zheng acted as the business representative and herald of the Ming court. The voyages navigated through various countries where Zheng stopped and presented gifts to the rulers as a perfect way of enhacing cooperation and relationships. Unfortunately, in 1424, Yongle Emperor who was the sponsor of the expensive voyages was murdered in a skirmish touching the Mongols. Zheng could hardly undertake any other voyages, and set out for his last voyage in 1429 before the Hongxi Emperor who succeeded Yongle Emperor banned the voyages in 1433 on the grounds that they were a misappropriation of resources and money. While the emperor did this to circumvent China from external influence, it limited china’s development by cutting trade with the outside world, and advanced Europeans could easily target China (Jessie, 2). It is evident that Chinese voyages had created great contribution to the Chinese culture and Economy and the decision of stopping more voyages was undeniably wrong. The Chinese society could have been improved much better if Hongxi Emperor did not stop the voyages. The contributions of the voyages The voyages greatly contributed to growth of trade between China and the outside world as well as spreading Chinese culture to the outside world, factors that contributed to the growth of China. In the ships, there was a myriad of special Chinese products that were meant for the foreign countries such as India and coast of Africa. These included skein, newly established celadon, enamelware, gauze, and brocade. Noteworthy, during the Tang Dynasty, people in China had already understood the technology of making glass to be heat resistant through addition of borax (Zheng et al., N.p). However, commercialization of this technology commenced in China after the arrival of the Arabian glass craftsperson who came to China by means of Zheng Hes fleet. He portrayed the new technology which was then used to sinter new types of glass vessels that are resilient to impulsive temperature changes. From then, large scale production of this glass became common in China and it eventually became a prominent utensil. Moreover, in the return journeys Zheng He brought exotic articles, fuels and building materials. Chinese used these materials to develop their country and culture. For instance, it is due to trade exchanges that China acqurired the Fulu (Zebra) and kylin (African giraffe) that were used in decorating the Chinese majestic garden (Demi, 97). The commercial communications between China and the foreign countries widened Chinese’s vision and awareness on foreign countries. Apart from improving trade, the voyages also contributed to China being honored internationally by portraying the nation’s remarkable navigational technology and proficiency. Nations the world over were impressed by China’s maritime technology and more became attracted to China probably to bolster their knowledge in maritime activities, and Yongle Emperor’s expertise in management of international affairs such as trade and communication. Malaysia and Philippines are among the countries that sent their emissaries to China (Li, N.p). They received a warm welcome and were treated hospitably by Emperor Chengzu. Similarly, the voyages bolstered Chinese reputation in the international arena, and strengthened its association with other countries. According to Jessie, irrespective of the country that he visited, Zheng He “called on the ruler of the land, presenting to him valuable gifts in token of Chinas sincere desire to develop friendly relations and inviting the host sovereign to send emissaries to China” (pg. 1). This action portrayed China as a friendly state that valued friendship. Moreover, Zheng He carefully studied habits and customs of the locals, showing respect to everyone and dealing with them through negotiation and consultation, a factor that made many people to believe that China values equality and mutual benefit, and more people were willing to visit China. This reputation is still dominant in places such as Tanzania and Somalia where people perceive the Ming China excavations as an emblem of the customary acquaintance that existed between China and their country. The voyages contributed to the stoppage of turmoil and mollification of the seas that were around china. Prior to the commencement of the voyages, bandit slave traders dominated the Vietnamese coast, Palembang was a center of illegitimate trade, dwarf pirates from Japan regularly disturbed the Chinese coast, and cities in Malay Peninsula and Indonesia were in total turmoil after their sources of income were curtailed by China (Zheng et al., N.p). Howver, the voyages brought this mayhem into a stop by establishing a heavy military presence in the region. Zheng He’s fleets combated any group that was seemingly an obstacle to free and diplomatic trade. Ultimately, Zheng He’s contribution in exploring the world during his voyages cannot be underestimated. He came across various figures and resources which he recorded and took back to China, where researchers utilized it to better their understanding of the world and strengthen their exploitation of untapped resources in various regions (Demi, 172). It is through such knowledge that China was able to improve the welfare of its citizens, and develop into a strong economy. The negative effects of stopping voyages and banning journals While the voyages were stopped due to the huge amount of resources that were required to finance them, such a move was unwelcomed since it resulted in more adversarial consequences. Firstly, stopping the voyages ended China’s trade with the outside world. This is disadvantageous as Chinese could no longer obtain important camphor, ambergris, tin, exotic articles, spices, sandalwood, fuels, Indian cotton cloth, and building materials from the outside world. These were materials that were important in development of China and their absence implies a degenerative economic move that eventually led to deterioration of prosperity in the country (Li, N.p). Similarly, Chinese products such as celadon, enamelware, gauze, and brocade could not be marketed to the outside world, a factor that implied lost revenues. Reduced trade cooperation implied that the friendship between China and other countries was compromised. China lost touch with its earlier allies, a factor that forced the country’s economy to be more introverted. Moreover, stopping the voyages made China loose the opportunity of influencing other countries to adopt the Chinese culture, and in effect the country also lost the opportunity of being influenced by other cultures (Jessie, 2). The speed of circulation of Chinese culture in the world was, therefore, plummeted and Chinese culture in other parts of the world faced the risk of annihilation. China’s objective of civilizing what they perceived to be ‘barbaric’ people was impaired. They initially intended to make these people submissive and pay homage and tribute to the Ming court. The action of banning journals relating to Zheng He deprived the world important information and only a few people are acquainted with this great maritimer. Available records are incomplete since emperors were devoted to terminating any evidence of Zheng He’s excursions (Li, N.p). The real contributions of Zheng He, hence, remain unknown even in today’s relatively technologically advanced and civilized community. The epic hero who was erudite about the world might, therefore, be easily forgotten. Introduction of the Western voyages and their acquisition The age of exploration commenced in the late 15th century as Europeans obtained better marine technologies to allow them explore the world and obtain luxurious products that were previously undiscovered. European empires such as England and Spain competed in the exploration, a factor that fueled expansion and progression of ultramarine exploration. They expanded research to places such as Africa, America, and the Far East (Zheng et al., N.p). The Western voyages rediscovered important economic resources that were further exploited, and led to development of the west. China lost the benefits of exploration, and other European powers utilized the resources that China had left unexploited. Assumption of the social effect if the Chinese continued voyages In conclusion, if the Chinese continued the voyages, China could now have developed better both socially, politically, and economically. However, the predominant social effects are of major interest. Chinese culture could have spread to other regions in the world, and absorb other cultures. It would have been the dominant world culture. For instance, Chinese martial arts and cultural ceremonies could have been part of every society’s culture (Li, N.p). The country’s population could also have been influenced by external forces, and the population could now be having Chinese of mixed origin such as Africa-Chines and Russian-Chines. This would probably have led to deterioration and dilution of important aspects of the original Chinese culture. However, we can still conclude that the Chinese society could have been better if the voyages were not obliviously banned. Works Cited Demi. The Great Voyages of Zheng He. Walnut Creek: Shens Books, 2012. Print. Jessie. "Envoy of Peace - Zheng Hes Great Voyages." 中国文化网 Chinaculture.org - Connecting the World to Chinese Culture, Sponsored by Chinese Ministry of Culture. Pg 1-2., n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2015. . Li Rongxia. "ÎÞ±êÌâÎĵµ." BR-1.jpg. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2015. . Zheng, Wenhan. Zheng Wenhan Ri Ji: Kang Mei Yuan Chao Zhan Zheng Shi Qi (1951.4.10-1953.7.27). Beijing Shi: Jun shi ke xue chu ban she, 2000. Print. Read More