ZHENG HE (1371-1433 CE) EXPLORER PROFILE Macquarie University Big History School: Core

Home , Xuande Emperor, Yongle Emperor, Zheng He

READING 7.3.8 ZHENG HE (1371-1433 CE) EXPLORER PROFILE Macquarie University Big History School: Core

Lexile® measure: 930L MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY BIG HISTORY SCHOOL: CORE - READING 7.3.8. EXPLORER PROFILE: ZHENG HE - 930L 2

In the 1400s, the old Silk Roads route became too dangerous for traders. This drove explorers at both ends of the Afro-Eurasia supercontinent to find new routes at sea. The question remained: would unification would be accomplished by Europe or Asia? ZHENG HE (1371-1433 CE) EXPLORER PROFILE By David Baker

Zheng He was born in 1371 in Yunnan China. Like the Mongol rulers of the time, Zheng He’s family were also Muslim. When Zheng He was 10, the Chinese Ming Dynasty conquered Yunnan. Zheng He’s father died during the conquest. He then became the servant of Prince Zhu Di, who would one day become the Yongle Emperor. Back then, it was common to castrate the royal family’s servants so that they would not “interfere” with the royal bloodline. Zheng He was castrated and became a eunuch. For the next 20 years, Zheng He served the prince. He became the prince’s loyal and trusted friend. In 1402 CE, Prince Zhu Di became the Yongle Emperor. Zhu Di wanted to project China’s power around the world so that he could legitimize his rule. To do this, he planned to build a massive navy. In 1403, the Ming began building a gigantic fleet of warships and merchant vessels. China still enjoyed a lead in collective learning compared with other nations at the time. Using this technological advantage, China built the most powerful navy the world had ever seen. Starting in 1405, multiple expeditions were launched with Zheng He leading the navy. They sailed around Southeast Asia and India many times. They sailed to Indonesia and conducted trade. They even reached Arabia and East Africa. A total of seven expeditions were launched in enormous ships that were 500 to 600 feet in length. MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY BIG HISTORY SCHOOL: CORE - READING 7.3.8. EXPLORER PROFILE: ZHENG HE - 930L 3

In terms of commerce, the goods brought back from expeditions were very valuable. These goods were so expensive that the voyages more than paid for themselves. They also opened up trade in various ports, which allowed other merchant expeditions to enrich themselves. Zheng He’s voyages were partly commercial and partly military in nature. Thousands of soldiers joined Zheng He’s expeditions. This was to make a show of force in several regions. The strength and size of the warships enforced the idea that Ming China was the strongest naval force of the age. On one notable voyage in 1424, Zheng He’s fleet fought a battle against pirates in Palembang harbor. They killed 5000 people and executed the pirate’s leader. After returning from this last voyage, Zheng He learned that the Yongle Emperor had died. He was succeeded by his son. The new ruler stopped Zheng He’s voyages and instead sent him to build some fortifications. When this emperor died in 1245, he was succeeded by the Yongle Emperor’s grandson, the Xuande Emperor. The Xuande Emperor was sometimes hostile towards Zheng He. However, the Emperor did commission him to lead one last expedition in 1430. This last expedition ended in 1433. It is likely that Zheng He died during the expedition and was buried at sea because his grave in China is empty. If these voyages had continued, the Chinese could have eventually sailed around Africa and on to Europe. It is also possible that Ming China could have sailed south of Indonesia and towards Australia. Alternatively, perhaps they could have sailed through the Pacific to North America.

However, the possibility of global unification under China was not to be. The Xuande Emperor had a fairly peaceful and prosperous rule. At the same time, the eunuchs who advocated for a strong navy had fallen from government. China then fell back into the isolationism and technological inactivity that ended Song China’s burst of innovation 150 years prior. So ended the possibility that China would be the unifiers of the world zones. However, just a few years after the death of Zheng He, another attempt to unite the world zones would occur on the other side of Afro- Eurasia… MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY BIG HISTORY SCHOOL: CORE - READING 7.3.8. EXPLORER PROFILE: ZHENG HE - 930L 4

ZHENG HE MAP MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY BIG HISTORY SCHOOL: CORE - READING 7.3.8. EXPLORER PROFILE: ZHENG HE - 930L 5

REFERENCES Baker, David. Winter is Coming: The Birth and Death of Humanity and the Universe. (in press) Christian, David. Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004. Christian, David and Cynthia Stokes Brown and Craig Benjamin. Big History: Between Nothing and Everything. New York: McGraw Hill, 2014. Levathes, Louise. When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994.

IMAGE CREDITS ‘Admiral Zheng He’ Credit: Hassan Saeed, https://www.flickr.com/photos/15100536@ N07/3668431041/ Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc-sa/2.0/). ‘Chinese Woodblock Print, Representing Zheng He’s Ships, Credit: Evan Hadingham https:// commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ZhengHeShips.gif Public Domain Mark 1.0 (https:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/deed.en). ‘Zheng He’s Tomb, Nanjing’ Credit: Peter Pang, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Zheng_He%27s_tomb,_Nanjing.jpg ‘Voyages of Zheng He’ Credit: SY, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Voyages_of_ Zheng_He.png Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by- sa/4.0/deed.en).

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