Zheng Hes Expedition and Ming Dynasty - Research Paper Example

Zheng Не's Ехреditiоn (Vоyаgе) (Author’s name) (Institutional Affiliation) Zheng Не's Ехреditiоn (Vоyаgе) Introduction. During the 15th century, the Indian Ocean trade was basically centered on the African coast Islamic trading centers, on the Arabian Peninsula Southern ports and Indian coast ports ("Zheng He: Famous Chinese Explorer Who Added Wealth and Power to the Ming Dynasty", 2017). This triangle made a wide arc extending from Japan and China, Java and Spice Islands linking it to Malacca by ship merchant travelling to Sri Lanka and Bay of Bengal ("Zheng He: Famous Chinese Explorer Who Added Wealth and Power to the Ming Dynasty", 2017). The Indian Ocean and the China Sea, eighty years before the arrival of Vasco da Gama in West India was governed by a formidable Chinese navy, from Southeast Asia to the Persian Gulf and East Africa ("Zheng He: Famous Chinese Explorer Who Added Wealth and Power to the Ming Dynasty", 2017). Headed by Admiral Zheng China’s Ming dynasty hurled seven voyages between the period of 1405 to 1433, in order to explore the West Oceans vast regions. The total number of employees on one such voyage was over 28,000, with over 300 vessels, the voyage also had over 400 feet long treasure ships and a legion of water tankers, multipored patrol boats, supply ships and warships with canons (Gronewald, 2017). Historically, it was one of its kind fleet worldwide and in China. It had never been outdone until the attack of fleets of WWI sailed the seas (Poirot, 2017). Contrary to the Europeans, the Chinese navy never thought of beginning the colonial rule over these oceans through the use of military force, instead the Chinese planned on establishing peaceful trade and diplomatic relationships with overseas countries. Due to domestic objections, the supremacy of China’s maritime in the 1430s abruptly disappeared and eventually the overseas expeditions were terminated by the court (Poirot, 2017). All these occurred decades prior to the coming of the great age of European exploration and discovery. Ming dynasty After the rebellion of the Chinese against the Mongols who governed China in the prior century, in 1368–1644, the Ming dynasty was founded (Xinfeng, 2011). With the advent of a new regime in Nanjing, in 1368 the rebellious leader Zhu Yuanzhang commanded the attack of Beijing and overthrew the Mongols who flew back to the Mongolian steppe which was outside the Great Wall (Xinfeng, 2011). Loyalists such as Zheng He remained in the fallen Mongol Yuan dynasty in the province of Yunnan which was situated in Southwest China. Zheng He who was formerly known as Ma He was born in Yunnan in a Muslim family (Xinfeng, 2011). The family had served in the Mongol government in that region and had moved from Central Asia to China. Both the grandfather the father of Zheng He carried the title of hajji meaning they had accomplished pilgrimages to Mecca. In 1381, Ma He who was eleven-year-old was captured, when Yunnan was invaded by the Ming army to conquer the Mongol remnants (Xinfeng, 2011). Ma He a young inmate of war was vasectomized and given as a servant to Prince Yan, Zhu Di court. Later the intimacy grew between the two produced a lifetime trust (Xinfeng, 2011). Zhu Di, in 1399, started a rebellion against the emperor Jianwen his nephew, and assumed the throne as the emperor Yongle three years later. Ma He having assisted Zhu Di actively in the civil war was given the new name Zheng He for his military merits by his lord (Xinfeng, 2011). In the last battle, the dethroned emperor Jianwen disappeared. Rumors spread that he had fled to overseas. According to various sources the new emperor organized maritime expeditions find the whereabouts of Jianwen. However, a number of historians have discredited this story since it is obviously unrealistic to launch seven expensive voyages for this reason. It is alluded that the mission was motivated by a number of reasons such as extending the new emperor’s influence politically, China’s military skills exhibition, searching for trade opportunities and strategic allies against the rise of Timurid Empire in Central Asia, the encouragement of endorsement and tributes by the several foreign states of the fragile legitimacy of the new emperor and acceleration of an international order marked by peace and harmony (Gronewald, 2017). Zhu Di’ encountered resistance when he assumed the throne from the officials of orthodox Confucian scholars but instead, the new leader trusted eunuchs as imperial agents for important missions (Poirot, 2017). Apart from being the emperor’s trustee Zheng He was also recognized for his knowledge and skills in the classics, military ability, mature personality and strategic acumens (Poirot, 2017). Having been born from a Muslim origin Zheng He was also reportedly a Buddhist. Zheng He who was a Muslim also presented sacrifice to the tianfei (goddess of celestial consort) a famous deity thought to be the provider of protection to seafarers. Zheng He also knew Central Asian languages, with a diverse cultural horizons and extensive religious attitude made him an appropriate candidate for the position of armada’s commander (Poirot, 2017). The construction of the vessels needed by the expeditions took place in the capital by the Yangzi River at the Longjiang shipyard (Gronewald, 2017). Mostly, sailors were come from the coastal provinces especially Fujian (Poirot, 2017). The most popular type of ocean-going ships during the Ming period was the shachuan or sand boats with flat-bottom hulls used for travel in the relatively shallow coastal waters. In the Indian Ocean and South China Sea the Fujian shipwrights redesigned the junk for travel. Treasure ships were the biggest junks comprising the fleet and had twelve sails made of strong silk cloth and nine staggered masts. For enhancement of stability, the junks had sterns with a keel on the bottommost part of the hull and high prows (Gronewald, 2017). They also had pointed hulls which were as sharp as knives which enabled them to cut through the huge waves (Zaimeche, 2017). They had an addition of overhanging decks that were wide, the lowermost desk was filled with earth and stone to added weight, the second deck had storage spaces and sailors living quarters, the third one had open space, the operations bridge and the kitchen while the fourth deck was a platform for fighting equipped with cast-bronze cannons which were twenty-four in number (Zaimeche, 2017). To ram smaller boats, the ships were strengthened by strong prows, they also had a balanced rudder that could be elevated and lowered which functioned like an additional keel, for safety the ship had extra watertight bulwark compartments. Not until the eighteenth century were these technological innovations introduced and applied in Europe 2.0 Expedition 2.1 The maritime exploration of China before Zheng He’s expedition was expansive. The technology used in the ships and the naval system was however not as advanced as that of Zheng He. Seasonal winds were in control of navigation before the 11th century (Fredrick and Twitchet, 1992). Important travelers including Zhu Ying and Kang Tai chronicled their exploration along the coast when they were sent by the Governor of Guangzhou and Jiaozhi in the third century. The Chinese people had little knowledge of the countries beyond the sea. A few explorers however ventured into the Indian Ocean and beyond including Faxian and Zhiyan who traveled to India and returned with scriptures about Buddhism and sutras to China (Holmes and Yoshihara, 2008). After the invention of the Chinese mariner compass exploration and trade was more frequent by the Chinese (White, 1940). 2.2 The Emperor’s ambitions and Zheng He’s qualifications Zheng He acquired the Zhu Di’s trust after actively assisting him in the civil war. Zhu Di later usurped the throne as the emperor Yongle (Wade, 2005). Knowledge of the military talent of Zheng He, his maturity and strategic insights made him the proper man for the Yongle emperor to entrust with the voyage. Despite his Muslim origins, Zheng He was reportedly a Buddhist. His habitual sacrifice to tianfei, the goddess of celestial consort was an added advantage as the deity was believed to protect seafarers (Benton, 2013). Moreover, Zheng He had a diverse approach to religion and was well versed with different cultures. As such, he qualified as the right candidate to commandeer the voyage. Finding Jianwen, whose throne had been usurped, was the alleged reason for the voyage (Swope, 2014). Historians however discredit this reason as the voyage was too costly to set up for that single reason. It is thus suggested that a variety of matters motivated the voyage. Among the concerns were: the intent to put China across as a military giant; extension of the political influence of the emperor; seeking of opportunities for trade; formation of strategic allies to go in opposition to the Timurid intensifying in Central Asia and to form an intercontinental regulation that was characterized by peace. Most importantly however, the voyage was to encourage tributes from the foreign envoys and varied states so that the Yongle emperor could gain legitimacy (Rockhill, 1915). 2.3 The Treasure Fleet The treasure fleet for the voyage had nine masts that were staggered as well as twelve sails made out of very strong silk cloth (Levanthes and Louise, 1994). The ocean going ships had pointed hulls that were evidently sharp and were significant for cutting in the course of huge waves. Additionally, the high rows and sterns that had a keel at the floor of the hull were efficient for ensuring steadiness in the rough seas. The decks were wide and overhanging and had different operations. The lowest deck had a filling of stones and earth for ballast while the second deck was used as accommodation for sailors and as storeroom. There was a kitchen and an open area in the third deck as well as a functional bridge while the fourth deck served as a combating stand. This deck was armed with twenty-four cast bronze cannons (Church, 2005). The ships were highly reliable as they had water tight bulwark compartments which increased safety in the ocean. Additionally, the rudder was balanced to allow for raising and lowering and thus served as an extra keel. Strong prows strengthened the ship being that they were used to ram smaller boats. These innovations used in the making of the ships utilized by Zheng He and his troops were not initiated in Europe until the late eighteenth century (Finlay, 1991). The technological innovation therefore proves the early advancement of the Chinese region in water transport technology. 2.4 First Voyage The first voyage was composed of three hundred and seventeen ships (Dreyer et al, 2006). The voyage took place between 1405 and 1407. This first voyage departed on the 11th day of July in 1405. The fleet included approximately sixty large treasure ships and an estimate of 28,000 men. The men consisted of sailors, builders and repair men for the trip. Additionally, there were medical personnel, soldiers, astronomers, diplomatic specialists and scholars who studied different foreign ways. These scholars were particularly of Muslim origin. The fleet first stopped at Champa which is known today as central Vietnam. The preceding stop was Siam then Java Island, through to spots at the Strait of Malacca, Semudera, and Lambri in northern Sumatra. The main destination of the first voyage was Cochin and the Kingdom of Calicut in the Indian southwestern coast and included major trading ports such as Ceylon and Quilon (Suryadinata, 2005). Through trade engagement in the various ports, the local regimes were impressed by the fleet commandeered by Zheng He. As a result, ambassadors from several states including Quilon, Semudera, Malacca and Calicut joined the fleet on its return to Nanjing to pay tribute. The foreign envoy usually consisted of merchants and diplomats and they went to the emperor’s court with offerings of local specialties. During the return of the first voyage, the fleet encountered Chen Zuyi, a Chinese pirate who had dictated over the Malacca Strait and made the trade route dangerous. Zheng He’s fleet confronted ad defeated the pirates and captured Chen. The pirate Chen was executed in Nanjing. The military operation was significant as it opened the seaway from South China to the Indian Ocean. 2.5 Second Voyage The second expedition took place between 1407 and 1409. The fleet constituted of sixty eight ships. The regions visited included Siam, Java, and northern Sumatra (Suryadinata, 2005). The fleet further proceeded to the Indian Ocean where there was an inauguration of a new king in the court of Calicut. During the ceremonial inauguration, the Calicut king was presented with titles and gifts. In Siam and Java, Zheng He got caught up in a supremacy struggle between two local leaders. The journey was organized by Zheng He but he did not get to lead it. 2.6 Third Voyage The third mission began in 1409 and ended in 1411. The fleet had forty eight ships and 30, 000 men. The routes followed were the same as the ones used for the voyage to India. During the expedition, Zheng He’s approach towards religion was exposed as being diverse. Despite him being a Muslim, he put up a stone that had inscriptions in Tamil, Persian and Chinese after visiting a local Buddhist temple so as to honor the journey. During his return from Calicut in 1411, Zheng He had an armed altercation with Alagakkonara who was the king of Ceylon. Alagakkonara planned to raid the fleet after kidnapping Zheng He. His plans were however thwarted when the Chinese troops attacked the Sinhalese palace and took the king captive. The king together with his family were taken to Nanjing but were later release back to Ceylon by the Yongle emperor. The Chinese then changed their support to an alternate regime that seemed more legitimate than that of Alagakkonara. 2.7 Fourth Voyage In the fourth voyage that took place between 1413 and 1415 the regions for the expedition were further extended. There were sixty three ships and over 28, 000 men. Ma Huan,a twenty five year old muslim translator joined Zeng He in the journey. He was the main person in charge of chronicling the voyage. After the fleet’s visit to India, the journey went on to the Persian Gulf in Maldives and Hormuz (Suryadinata, 2005). In this voyage, Zheng He was involved in another local clash in Semudera. Zheng He fought on the side of a deposed sultan and the usurper who had killed the king was incarcerated and put to death in Nanjing. This engagement in the local power struggle made the Chinese declare an international order with an idea of political legitimacy. Eighteen states from the region that is currently Vietnam and the far coast of East Africa sent tribute envoys to the Ming court following the fourth expedition. Zheng He’s voyages therefore had a significant impact on the increase in the political power and influence of the Chinese regime. 2.8 Fifth Voyage The fifth voyage that took place from 1417 to 1419 was mainly a return trip for the foreign envoys that had come to pay tribute to the Ming court. The armada paid visits to the ports that were located along the coast in East Africa. During this visit Zheng He brought back more representatives who had various cargos to pay tribute to the Ming court (Dreyer, 2007). The tribute included a variety of animals such as lions, dromedary camels, rhinoceroses, ostriches and giraffes. Based on the Chinese belief that giraffes were legendary beasts that epitomized virtue and prosperity, the emperor was immensely pleased and had a keep constructed to place the exotic animals and plants that had been brought. 2.9 The role of Japanese pirates and its impact The Wokou, literally meaning Japanese pirates were offenders of various origins who attacked the coast lines of China, Japan and Korea (Abelli, 2011). Based on the Ming history, 30 percent of the wokou in the 16th century were Japanese. Based on the Samurai archives, the wokou in the Chinese coast during the 13h and 14th century were not Japanese but the Chinese rivals of the emperor’s political enemy. The tension created by the Japanese piracy resulted to the creation of the Haijin policy which was a ban that forbade civil trade with Japan but still maintained government trade (Li, 2010). The Chinese believed that limiting of trade that was not associated to the government would reduce Japanese piracy. The piracy was however counterproductive as Chinese merchants traded with the Japanese to protect their interests. The Jiajing wokou raids were as a result of several factors that built up to weaken the defense of the Chinese empire (Lim, 2013). After the cessation of the treasure travels by the Zhengtong Emperor, the guard ships were left away to rot as there was no enough funding to support their maintenance. The deterioration of the warships made the significance of the military to go down thus when the wokou were upon them there was no strong military presence. Furthermore, the political decline accelerated the raids to a point where the pirates could attack hundreds of ships and besiege districts. 2.10 The decision to stop the funding of the expedition Different factions in the Chinese Ming court critiqued on the extravagance that the Yongle emperor indulged in during his administration (Dreyer, 2007). The overseas missions were expensive and his demands for timber from Annam to build his palace had set China in a losing battle with the region. In addition to these exploits, the move of the capital from Nanjing to Beijing was involving as it required very many laborers and expensive construction. The pledge to revive and extend the Grand Canal was equally extravagant and additions to the catastrophes were natural disasters and corruption which led to further hardship. The lack of consistent diplomatic attention resulted to an increase of pirates and smugglers in the South China Sea (Frederick and Twitchett, 1992). The division in the Ming court by different factions brought about conflict. The traditional and conservative advisors of the court insisted on frugal spending while the powerful eunuch factions supported Zheng He’s voyages. In 1477, the suggestion for another seafaring voyage was declined and the Vice President of the Ministry of War had all chronicles and records of Zheng He confiscated, claiming that they were deceitful exaggerations (Frederick and Twitchett, 1992). The vice argued that money had been wasted and people lost on the voyages while the precious cargos that were brought were not beneficial to the state. Accomplishment The Ming dynasty had a lot of major achievements while in power, some of these achievements include; the restoration of the Great Wall of China and the Grand Canal, and also initiated the Forbidden City during the beginning half of the 15th century in Beijing (Zaimeche, 2017). The main purpose of constructing the Forbidden City to house the Emperor’s household and the Emperor and chief political officials. Currently the Forbidden City is a Palace Museum. The Ming dynasty is among the first dynasties where capitalism was emerged and it was believed to have been made up of approximately180 million people (Gronewald, 2017). Zheng He’s voyages expedition occurred at the period of expensive military construction projects and expansions including wars against the Viet Nam and Mongols along with the construction of Beijing the new capital city. In the 1430s, the voyages were stopped for good by the imperial government because of the issues of high costs encouraged by the objections of Confucian scholar-officials. There is no information about the formation of permanent task forces in the regions that were visited by the fleet (Zaimeche, 2017). However, the mission of extending the Ming court’s influence did succeed hence, improving Chinese knowledge of the empire in the far west, demonstrating China’s military power, combating pirates, promulgating the Chinese political legitimacy and the concept of world order and encouraging tribute trade. During these decades’ peace in China was upheld across the oceans. China was visited by hundreds of foreign representatives such as eleven kings who were well entertained by the emperor (Zaimeche, 2017). Some of the kings even stayed in China and died there, including the king of Sulu and the king of Brunei of the Philippines. Generally, their tombs were symbolic signifying positive international relations between neighboring polities and China. Cultural imprint was also left by the voyages in the regions they visited (Gronewald, 2017). Zheng He and his fleet exists as an enduring theme in famous Southeast Asia narratives. In 2003, in India, Zheng He iron statue was discovered which was similar to another statue of his discovered in Fuji, China. A rich maritime legacy was also left by Zheng He’s voyages to the later generations (Zaimeche, 2017). The expedition has two surviving records, the Description of the Starry Raft by Fei Xin and the Overall Survey of the Ocean Shores by Ma Huan that provide details of accounts of the voyages and several states that the fleet visited. This information also record the Chinese distinctive nautical technologies during that period including methods of measuring depth and distance of the ocean a long with navigation technologies through the combined use of time calculation, celestial observation and maritime compass (Gronewald, 2017). The evaluation of economic impact was difficult thou, International trade was an essential dimension of these expeditions (Zaimeche, 2017). Zheng He’s voyage sold the products of China for foreign luxuries and daily products for use such as medicines, exotic wood and spices to be brought back to the capital (Zaimeche, 2017). Even though, these goods mainly were presented to the emperor for disposal and consumption, foreign emissaries who visited China were allowed to trade with locals in the capital for huge profits that also permitted ordinary Chinese to gain from international trade. In their time, Ming Dynasty economy was very advanced. The dynasty was one of the largest economies during those times (Gronewald, 2017). The economies of Ming dynasty comprised of some technological advances, increased political power of lower class nationals such as merchants and the imperial rule slow weakening ("Zheng He: Famous Chinese Explorer Who Added Wealth and Power to the Ming Dynasty", 2017). During the Ming, economic development opportunities were grabbed readily by entrepreneurs, mostly in the southern regions of China. Sweet potato and Maize were planted in the farms, as a result the dynasty was able to maintain sufficient food supply ("Zheng He: Famous Chinese Explorer Who Added Wealth and Power to the Ming Dynasty", 2017). Also in terms of industrial development, the textile and mining industries performed very well. By the end of the Ming, based upon the evidences, the production approach had begun gradually to develop towards the capitalist system. The construction of the Great wall of China which had begun in earlier dynasties, was completed during the Ming dynasty ("Zheng He: Famous Chinese Explorer Who Added Wealth and Power to the Ming Dynasty", 2017). The wall underwent several extensions and repair during the reign of the Ming. The wall covered the provinces of Tianjin, Liaoning, Shanxi, Mongolia, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia (Gronewald, 2017). The extend at which the Great wall was covering stretched from the Jiayuguan Pass up to Shanhaiguan Pass near the Sea of Bohai. Along the Great Wall a good number of watchtowers were constructed, which extended even along the Silk Road ("Zheng He: Famous Chinese Explorer Who Added Wealth and Power to the Ming Dynasty", 2017). Even though the building was constructed with an aim of shielding China from attacks by nomads of the north, it was not enough to prevent the 1644 Manchus attacks, which were followed by their conquering of China. An apprising leader, Li Zicheng, in the same year, was able to bring about the end of Ming Dynasty by capturing first the Chinese capital, Beijing. Conclusion The Ming dynasty is one of the greatest dynasties in the world. The dynasty was founded after the defeat of Mongols by the then leader Zhu Yuanzhang. As a result of the war Zheng He was captured. He later became a friend with Zhu di, and together they overthrew the leadership of the time. Zheng He came to be a talented military leader with an ability to plan and execute military invasions. Due to the nature of his job, he was able to explore many places through his voyages. As result the Ming dynasty was able to make many economic, military and technological achievements. All this was happening long before the European, Columbus started his explorations. The documentation of history as it is widely known, has been written without considering some pertinent facts. Just like the colonialism is seen to have happened in Southeast Asia only after the arrival of the European forces, so does the discovery and exploration has been credited to Columbus. However, colonial experience has been in China long before the arrival of European forces. Therefore, the discussion in this article should open an avenue for the rethinking of the world history. References Gronewald, S. (2017). The Ming Voyages | Asia for Educators | Columbia University. Afe.easia.columbia.edu. Retrieved 22 March 2017, from http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_1000ce_mingvoyages.htm Poirot,. (2017). Zheng He and Ming China: The Lone Mariner and His Times - All Empires. Allempires.com. Retrieved 22 March 2017, from http://www.allempires.com/article/index.php?q=zheng_he_ming_china Xinfeng, L. (2011). Historical Research on the Ming Dynasty in Mainland China — 1995–2009. Ming Studies, 2011(63), 9-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/175975911x13115903979557 Zaimeche, S. (2017). Zheng He - the Chinese Muslim Admiral | Muslim Heritage. Muslimheritage.com. Retrieved 22 March 2017, from http://www.muslimheritage.com/article/zheng-he-chinese-muslim-admiral Zheng He: Famous Chinese Explorer Who Added Wealth and Power to the Ming Dynasty. (2017). Ancient Origins. Retrieved 22 March 2017, from http://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/zheng-he-famous-chinese-explorer-who-added-wealth-and-power-ming-dynasty-020680 Abeli, J., 2011. Causes of Piracy in Medieval Japan. Benton, G., 2013. San Fancón and the Goddess of Mercy: Two Chinese Folk Gods in Cuban Transfiguration. Cultural and Social History, 10(1), pp.93-108. Church, S.K., 2005. Zheng He: An investigation into the plausibility of 450-ft treasure ships. Monumenta serica, 53(1), pp.1-43. Dreyer, Edward L. Zheng He: China and the Oceans in the Early Ming, 1405–1433. New York: Longman, 2006. Dreyer, E.L., 2007. Zheng He: China and the oceans in the early Ming dynasty, 1405-1433. 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