Zheng He's voyages to the Western Oceans

Author: Lu Jingbo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: Zheng He (1371–1435), whose original surname was Ma, was known by the childhood name Sanbao and belonged to the Hui ethnic group. He was from Kunyang (now Nanjian County in Yunnan). During the early Ming Dynasty, he served as an eunuch in the imperial palace and was known as the "Imperial Eunuch Sanbao." He was a distinguished Chinese navigator of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, China drew a boundary at the South China Sea, dividing maritime routes to foreign countries into the East and West Oceans. From 1405 to 1433, he led fleets on seven missions to the West Ocean (the South Seas and the Indian Ocean), visiting more than 30 countries in Asia and Africa. On the 15th day of the sixth month of the third year of the Yongle reign (1405), the Yongle Emperor dispatched Zheng He to the West Ocean, marking the beginning of his seven voyages. The personnel composition of Zheng He's missions mainly included sailors, officials, procurement officers, craftsmen, doctors, and interpreters, numbering over 27,800. Zheng He's fleet was the world's most advanced in terms of performance, equipment, and scale at that time. The larger ships in the fleet were called "treasure ships." The largest treasure ships were 44 zhang (about 240 meters) long and 18 zhang (about 100 meters) wide, while the medium-sized ones were 37 zhang (about 204 meters) long and 15 zhang (about 83 meters) wide. They had nine masts, twelve sails, and between 16 and 20 oars, with rudders weighing 4,810 kilograms. In May 1957, a massive rudder stock made of ironwood, measuring 11.07 meters in length, was discovered at the Ming Treasure Shipyard site in Sanjia River, Xiaoguan, Nanjing. Calculations show that the height of this rudder should have been around 6.25 meters, serving as physical evidence for the size of the treasure ships mentioned above.
In October 1405 (the third year of the Yongle reign), when the strong northeastern monsoon blew, a fleet of 62 large ships carrying over 27,000 people set sail from Liujiagang in Suzhou, heading out to sea and marking the beginning of this historic great voyage. Ten days later, the fleet arrived at the first stop: Zengcheng Xinzhou Port (now Vinh in Vietnam). After a brief stay in Zengcheng, the fleet sailed south to Java, along the coast of the Indian Peninsula, passing through the western side of Borneo, and sailed for 20 days with the wind, reaching Java, which was hailed as the "Mightiest of the Eastern Nations." Zheng He then commanded the fleet to take the Bangka Strait, visiting Old Harbor (now Palembang in Sumatra), Malacca, Sri Lanka (then known as Similan), Kochi (now Cochin in India), and finally arrived at the then center of Middle Eastern trade, Calicut (now Kozhikode in India), completing the mission of this voyage. In the autumn of 1407, the fleet returned to China, accompanied by envoys from Java, Malacca, Aru, Sumatra, Little Galang, and Calicut. A few months later, Zheng He set sail again. This voyage followed a similar route to the previous one and lasted two years. Records of this voyage are not very detailed, but from Zheng He's handwritten "Record of the Deeds of the Heavenly Empress of the East at Liujiagang," we can infer the general outline: "In the fifth year of the Yongle reign (1407), leading the fleet, he went to Java, Calicut, Kochi, and Siam, where the kings each offered exotic goods, rare birds, and strange beasts as tribute. He returned in the seventh year." Among the newly visited countries was Siam, which was roughly equivalent to modern-day Thailand. In 1408, while Zheng He was still at sea, the Yongle Emperor, who had already decided on the third voyage, ordered the construction of ships and preparation for his return.
In the summer of 1409, Zheng He returned to China, but the Yongle Emperor did not let him rest long. Tired and weary, Zheng He once again led the fleet from Liujiagang, embarking on his third voyage in the East Indian Ocean. This voyage remained centered on the East Indian Ocean, and he established a stockade city and warehouses in Malacca, serving as an intermediate trading hub for maritime trade. After completing his third voyage and returning home, Zheng He spent a long period of peaceful days. A year and a half later, in November 1412 (the tenth year of the Yongle reign), the Yongle Emperor issued an order for the fourth voyage. The first three voyages had taken Zheng He's fleet as far as the western coast of India, primarily visiting countries east of the Indian Ocean. This time, the Yongle Emperor decreed that Zheng He should further sail west to visit the countries of Hormuz, Brawa, Liushan, and Sunla. The following four voyages included the eastern coast of Africa in their itinerary, further expanding exchanges and trade with foreign countries and deepening China's interactions and friendships with the Western world. For this voyage, Zheng He made thorough preparations. Since the countries in Western Asia were Islamic, he specially invited the Islamic religious leader Hesan from Xi'an to serve as an interpreter to facilitate negotiations.
In the winter of 1413 (the eleventh year of the Yongle reign), the fleet set sail, following the old route to Calicut, then continued westward, finally reaching Hormuz in Western Asia (now the Gulf of Hormuz in Iran), where he presented the imperial edict and invited the rulers to pay tribute to the Ming court. The king agreed to pay tribute, and upon completing his mission, Zheng He began his return voyage. Meanwhile, a detachment of ships was sent to explore even farther along the eastern coast of Africa. In 1415, Zheng He returned to China, and a year later, the detachment also returned, accompanied by envoys from Liushan, Mogadishu, Brawa, Malindi, Aden, and Zeila from Arab and East African countries. In the following years, Zheng He led his fleet on the fifth and sixth voyages, spreading Ming culture to many coastal countries in the Arab world and Africa.
In 1424 (the twenty-second year of the Yongle reign), the Yongle Emperor passed away, and the Renzong Emperor ascended the throne, abolishing a series of foreign policies, marking the end of Zheng He's maritime expeditions. In 1425, the Xuanzong Emperor ascended the throne and ordered Zheng He to set sail again. From the beginning of 1431 (the sixth year of the Xuanzong reign) to 1433 (the eighth year of the Xuanzong reign), he spent over three years visiting nearly twenty countries, including a special trip to Mecca, the Islamic holy city. This cruise in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf was Zheng He's final summary voyage. However, due to opposition and obstruction from the maritime prohibition faction in the Ming court, the Xuanzong Emperor issued an edict prohibiting overseas voyages. In 1435 (the tenth year of the Xuanzong reign), Zheng He passed away at the age of 64.
Zheng He's seven voyages to the Western Ocean visited more than 30 countries in Asia and Africa, establishing diplomatic and trade relations. These voyages greatly promoted political, economic, and cultural exchanges between China and countries in Asia and Africa. The number of Chinese immigrants to Southeast Asia also increased rapidly, bringing advanced production techniques and cultural knowledge, contributing to the development of the South Seas. They demonstrated the extraordinary skills of the Chinese in shipbuilding and navigation, proving that China was at the forefront of global maritime endeavors at that time. They also reflected the achievements of China as a unified feudal state in terms of politics, economy, and culture.
Zheng He's seven voyages opened twenty-one long-distance sea routes, with a total distance of over 70,000 nautical miles. He compiled the "Zheng He Navigational Map," which provided reliable records of routes, ports, reefs, and shoals. This map is a valuable early Chinese document on marine geography. The renowned British scholar Joseph Needham described it as follows: "It is a true navigational map, marked with precise magnetic bearings and distances calculated in li, as well as all points of interest along the coast for sailors." The interpreters who accompanied Zheng He on his voyages—Ma Huan, Fei Xin, and Gong Zhen—each wrote books titled "Jingya Shenglan," "Xingcha Shenglan," and "Xiyang Fan Guo Zhi," respectively. These books recorded the customs and cultures of the countries they visited and are precious historical materials for studying these regions at that time. Zheng He also compiled his nearly 30 years of navigational experience and achievements into two books: "Navigational Maps" and "A Treatise on Magnetic Directions." The primary purpose of Zheng He's voyages was to showcase the might of the Ming Dynasty, rather than to develop trade or promote commodity economy. Each voyage was extremely costly, and after seven voyages, the imperial treasury was depleted. Unable to continue, the seven voyages of Zheng He marked the turning point from prosperity to decline in China's maritime endeavors.