Danica Ley Tackmann 3 World History 11 30, April 2024 Zheng He Essay What would you do to get attention? Show off your possessions. Brag? What is the difference between a Brag? Or like China in the 15th century and travel the world on a ship greater than no other. This all began with a man named Zheng He, a staff member of the royal family who worked his way up the military ranks to be a trusted advisor of the emperor. He had 7 voyages across the Pacific and Indian oceans on the largest wooden fleet known to man and his voyages ended in 1431. In 1492 however, European Christopher Columbus made the same voyage that is known today and we “celebrate” such accomplishments. The question lies in why we do not celebrate the travels of Zheng He. We …show more content…
A 315-foot difference is huge even though the smaller ship was the one being known by all and the other being hardly recognized. Christopher Columbus's ship as the size achieved the same and even more than the ship that was almost 4 times its size. In Document C, the fleet of their two ships is compared by size with Zheng He’s crew and the amount of people he brought around the world. What did this do for me? What was the significance of the ship's size to their adventure? Christopher did this with a smaller ship and wasn't trying to show off his size. He could navigate so much easier with a smaller ship and that is why we recognize him because there weren't unnecessary people on board such as fortune tellers, cooks, business managers, etc. The Christopher Columbus ship would not have to worry about going into shallow waters because it was easier to turn around and go somewhere else, whereas the Zheng He ship didn't have that option as easy. With all of these combined, China was doing these voyages not for their benefit but to show their power off to other countries with their huge ships and gifts. In Document E, we get to see the Changle Inscription, which was written just before Zheng He's last voyage and reveals Zheng He's words and
Who doesn’t love celebrations? When we celebrate something it’s usually because the event influenced or impacted history in some way. In the case of Zheng He, I do believe we should commemorate his voyages. Zheng he did experience a bad child-hood; as he was involved in many devastating events like the death of his father, becoming a prisoner by the Ming dynasty and being forced to work for a royal family. Zheng didn’t let that bring him down and eventually became a trusted advisor and earned power and wealth. These actions lead to his first of 7 voyages. His voyages had successful outcomes and they also showed that great leadership skills were needed to complete these voyages. Therefore, I do believe we should memorialize the voyages of Zheng
Introduction(refer to pages 93-94): Many people had turning points. But not everyone had an impact on their country. Feng Ru from “Father of Chinese Aviation”, Jackie Robinson from “I never had it made”, and Melba Beals from “ Warriors Don’t Cry” all faced turning points and had an impact or their country. Aviation, Baseball, and schools were not the sam always 3 people named Feng Ru, Jackie Robinson, Melba Beals all had turning points in their lifetime and had an impact on their country or society.
...aders usually offered tribute and emissaries to avoid conflict. This whole process preceded the colonialism practiced by the Europeans in years to come. The question begging to be answered here is, are Zheng He’s voyages deserving of celebration? In my opinion, I feel that we should acknowledge what he did, and continue to try to learn about the voyages. Just the fleet that he sailed across the world was remarkable; 255 huge ships, 27,500 people, and an astounding doctor-to-patient ratio of 1 to 151. Should Zheng He’s voyages be celebrated? Definitely not, he did not capitalize on the resources available to him. He cared too much about animals that weren't very beneficial, and essentially wasted precious time and money. We need to celebrate people that maximized the potential of their opportunities and actually got close, or achieved something truly great and useful.
Zheng He was a Muslim eunuch who served as a close confidant of the Yongle Emperor of China during the Ming Dynasty.
Christopher Columbus was an Italian sailor and explorer who travelled across the Atlantic Ocean in 1942, in search of a quick route to India Spice trading, which was at the time the largest industry in the world. Columbus made a total of 4 trips between 1492 - 1504 Columbus throughout time has been revered to as a hero, and the reason that many of us are even settled on this land, but there are many dark truths that will be touched upon throughout this report.
It is thought by many that Christopher Columbus was a skilled sailor on a mission of greed. Many think that he in fact did it all for the money, honor and the status that comes with an explorer, but this is not the case entirely. Columbus was an adventurer and was enthused by the thrill of the quest of the unknown. “Columbus had a firm religious faith and a scientific curiosity, a zest for life, the felling for beauty and the striving for novelty that we associate with the advancement of learning”. He had heard of the legendary Atlantic voyages and sailors reports of land to the west of Madeira and the Azores. He believed that Japan was about 4,800 km to the west of Portugal. In 1484, Columbus wanted support for an exploratory voyage from King John II of Portugal, but he was refused. In 1485, Columbus took his son Diego and went to Spain to get some help.
To be an explorer one must go off the beaten path, they must actively be trying to discover something new. Zheng He did not do so, and that is why he should not be considered an explorer. Zheng He was knowingly sent to places that and already been discovered and were actively gone to by merchants and traders. Which makes one ponder; why would an emperor build a massive armada if it were not for exploratory purposes? The fleet was built for imperialistic reasons to show the world that they should be intimidated by China. They went into situations of fragmentation of fighting and made the strength and power of China clear to all. Ultimately, the voyages of Zheng He were to promote tributary relationships, they were not for discovery or exploration
This ended when the emperor Yong’le and began to put his interest into sea voyages and investing greatly into these voyages ("Ancient China: The 15th Century Fleet."). Yong’le chose his lead eunuch to head the ventures to other lands. Zheng the lead eunuch to the emperor led seven expeditions to areas around the now called region of the Indian Ocean ("Ancient China: The 15th Century Fleet."). In 1414 China set out on sea expedition of a large magnitude with a manpower of 30,000 men ("Ancient China: The 15th Century Fleet."). The bulk of the load was carried on massive ships called the galleons which was 400 feet long and could carry a load of about 1,500 tons ("Ancient China: The 15th Century Fleet."). Furthermore, with this fleet they were able to complete large trade expeditions and explore foreign land that prior they did not visit because of their isolation. ("Ancient China: The 15th Century Fleet."). Unfortunately, the fleet saw its last voyage after the death of emperor Yong’le and the induction of the new emperor Xuande allowed for this final voyage where at sea Zheng the eunuch died at sea. Through this expansion started by emperor Yong’le China had and continues to have a growing and mighty naval
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 the political motivation to maintain the tributary system and his voyages had important political implication of causing Neo-Confucian opposition and suspension of the expedition.
Having engaged in a relentless and detailed examination of Christopher Columbus’ four voyages across the Atlantic, the reader can now undoubtedly claim to have ascertained a greater level of knowledge and appreciation than he before could have ever held. Although the reader is bereft of a happy or joyous ending, he can find solace in a better comprehension of past events, those men who characterized them, and the implied lessons for a future that will inevitably become a part of history itself. Columbus: the four voyages, by Laurence Bergreen, is a remarkable biography that provides all of that, and then
In 1492 Columbus set out to find a shorter route to Asia by sailing west to get east.
Christopher Columbus, one of the most famous explorers with an extraordinary legacy was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451. He was an Italian explorer and navigator and is very well known for his four voyages and his “discovery” of the New World. Columbus began sailing when he was just a teenager in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. Later, he moved to Lisbon, Portugal and then Spain, where he spent the rest of his life. Columbus’ purpose was to find a passage to Asia by sailing West, but during his voyage he ended up in the Caribbeans and South America. Columbus’ proposal was turned down by King John of Portugal and the rulers of England and France. After several years of being declined, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella funded Columbus’ voyage
When Columbus landed on the beaches of the Watling Islands of the Bahamas in October, 1492, he had inadvertently opened up a whole new world for the Europeans, Asians, and other countries of the Eastern hemisphere. Although Columbus was not the first man to truly discover the Americas, he can be credited as the man who made their existence known worldwide. The discovery of the Americas launched an era of discovery and exploration, especially in Europe. Many new foods and animals were brought to the Old World from the Americas. This would not have been possible with out Christopher Columbus. In addition, Columbus’s explorations eventually led to a period of economical growth in Europe. It is important that we take time to remember Columbus’s achievements on Columbus Day.
In 1403, Yongle planned construction of a fleet to deepen their knowledge of the world. The governance of the fleet was given to his good friend Zheng He. Two years later, sixty boat had been built. The final armada had roughly 300 boats.
Seventh Voyage: “Zheng He’s seventh and final voyage left China in the winter of 1431, visiting the states of Southeast Asia, the coast of India, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the east coast of Africa. He died in Calicut in the spring of 1433, and the fleet returned to China that summer. Zheng He led China to become the superpower of the Indian Ocean, considered to be “the world's most important crossroads of trade”, in the 15th century.” His impact was huge as the places he had visited in his life were going to be visited by many other countries in the near future, resulting in the fact that a lot of other explorers carried on the work Zheng He had nearly