Zheng He – One Of The Greatest Navigators In History

Who is the greatest navigator in history? The answer is varied in people’s minds. During the 15th century, before Columbus and Magellan led the Age of Exploration, something was taking place in the South China Sea. Hundreds of Chinese ships were starting to explore the appearance of the world. Zheng He, a Chinese admiral, navigated his fleets around the Old World. His armed trade vessels were vigorously mobilized and conveyed incredible measures of fortunes, which served to extend Chinese influence and riches to the known world. They brought back numerous diplomats whose lords and rulers were eager to proclaim themselves as vassals of China. When the Ming emperor Zhu Di commanded Zheng He to start a naval expedition, he never knew that he just started one of the greatest eras of exploration in history, initiating the world to be developed into today’s appearance.

To commence, the Ming treasure voyages happened not just because of Emperor Zhu Di’s edict, instead, the series of voyages were begun by multiple reasons. What must be prioritized is that Zhu Di had instructed Zheng He to establish a tribute system. He wanted to expand the influence of China and organize a system of earning valuable products from all over the world, such as African giraffes According to the book, 1421 The Year China Discovered America, the Ming Dynasty believed that “only by collecting tribute from the barbarians beyond the seas can the Great Ming expand and becomes greater”! What should be equally discussed is that the Islamic religious belief of Zheng He had motivated him to navigate with his fleets. Zheng He is a Muslim who thirsts for Hajj, which is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. Zheng He's grandfather conveyed the title hajji, while his dad had the sinicized surname Ma and furthermore title hajji, which recommends that they had made the journey to Mecca. All the evidence are suggesting that Zheng He had an Islamic religion and he is passionate about the trip going to Mecca. That is to say, the personal belief of Zheng He had largely influence the Ming treasure voyages, without this, the result of the voyages could not be predicted. Also, the command from the emperor of Zhu Di can not be ignored, all these series of voyages started is because of this command. To sum up, both the Islamic belief and the command from the emperor had contributed to the consequential voyages.

As we know, the great deed of Zheng He, exploring the oceans with a mighty armada, has long languished as a tantalizing footnote in China, significantly affects the ancient Ming Dynasty and even today’s Chinese society. During the 15th century, Zheng He was commissioned to command seven voyages. The first three reached up to Calicut on India’s Malabar coast, While the fourth voyage went as far as the Persian Gulf. The far most place has been reached is Arabian Peninsula and East Africa, or may even beyond that.

According to the book, 1421 The Year China Discovered America, “Lost in the long, semi-imposed isolation that followed was the knowledge that Chinese ships had reached America seventy years before Columbus and had circumnavigated the globe a century before Magellan”. But Zheng He’s voyages not only for discovering new worlds but also followed Zhu Di’s command, establishing a huge tribute system and collects tribute from all over the world. The journeys were discretionary, aggressive, and business in nature. They were directed to build up supreme command over the sea exchange, to carry the oceanic exchange into the tributary framework, and to compel outside nations into consistency inside the tributary framework. To conclude, these voyages definitely discovered almost every corner in the unknown world, largely helped Chinese to finish mapping the globe. However, that is not all the points, the Ming Dynasty also takes advantage of it in order to gain tribute from others and thus be wealthy and strengthen the economy.

When the tribute system had been completed, Chinese national income was increased to a large extent. That is to say, China has established the foundation of being a world power in today’s society. The message is that Zheng He foreshadowed China's 21st-century rise as a politically influential nation, however, one that contrasts in critical regards from Spain, Britain, France, Germany, Japan and, above all, the United States. (Kahn). In addition, the improved relationship between China and others who are nearby the Indian Ocean is one of the most important effects of Zheng He’s voyages. As the trade between countries became more frequent, communication also evolved, bringing more possibilities that are able to improve international relationships in different ways. According to the book, 1421 The Year China Discovered America “In 1421, trade throughout the Indian Ocean was dominated by the Chinese and Arabs from Egypt and the Gulf states, relationships between them were friendly.” As a result, the foundation of being a world power had built for China, the financial support from tribute as well as the relationship with other countries.

In summation, the 15th and 16th centuries have been recognized as the age of exploration, many voyagers from various countries start exploring the world. Zheng He’s voyages had had a tremendous impact on China and the world, breaking the oceanic barrier between China and other Old World countries. For Zheng He himself, the spiritual barrier between him and Mecca also shattered. As one of the most significant events in history, The Ming Treasure voyages have an unignorable impact on the world.

Works Cited

• “China beat Columbus to it, perhaps; Chinese cartography.' The Economist, 14 Jan. 2006, p. 80(US). Gale In Context: High School, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A140797601/SUIC?u=plan95278&sid=SUIC&xid=9e62f402. Accessed 17 Sept. 2019.
• Kahn, Joseph. 'China Has an Ancient Mariner to Tell You About.' New York Times, 20 July 2005, p. A4(L). Gale In Context: High School, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A134180871/SUIC?u=plan95278&sid=SUIC&xid=daa03cab. Accessed 17 Sept. 2019.
• Menzies, Gavin. 1421: The Year China Discovered America. New York: Harper Perennial, 2008. Print.