Life and Exploration of Zheng He, Essay Example

Who was Zheng He and what did he do?

Zheng He is remembered as one the most influential maritime explorers. His remarkable prowess and imaginative and prescient vision found amazing expression in the impressive accomplishments of his lifespan, which includes maritime expedition, international diplomacy, and military affairs. In retrospect to other explorers, Zheng He was a master ship builder, great leader of seaman, expert at acquisition of domestic goods for exchange and excellent command of the command and logistics of the seas. Many historians leave out the high intelligence of Zheng during his global expeditions, which involved highly sophisticated techniques of navigation, organizational/leadership skills and planning. In other words, he was a master of global logistics and organized expeditions. He served as a close confidant of the Yongle Emperor of China (reigned 1403–1424), the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Zheng He’s ancestors include a general for Genghis Khan.

Between the third year of the Yongle reign period (1405) and the eighth year of the Xuande reign period (1433), Zheng He led seven great western maritime expeditions, traversing the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean into the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, and reaching as far west as the east coast of Africa”^1.

Zheng He was born 1371 and died in 433). His Roman name was Cheng Ho. He was well known as experienced mariner, spectacular diplomat and fleet admiral, that commanded voyages to South Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa. Zheng. He was the favorite of the Yongle Emperor that help the admiral rise to the very top of the imperial hierarchy as commander of the capital Nanjing. Many of Zheng He voyages we lost in translation and the lack of Chinese historians documenting his travels, however, is well known in the Chinese circles. Zheng He was raised as a Muslim and study the teachings of Islam at an early age. Both Zheng He’s father and grandfather completed the pilgrimage to Mecca,which allow Zheng He to learn distant lands. His father and father and grandfather influenced the young Zheng He while developing his hunger and curiosity about the outside world. Zheng He’s father’s was directly responsible for the worldly impressions he left on Zheng He as a young boy prepared to travel the world. Zheng He was raised as a Muslim and study the teachings of Islam at an early age. Both Zheng He’s father and grandfather completed the pilgrimage to Mecca,which allow Zheng He to learn distant lands. His father and father and grandfather influenced the young Zheng He while developing his hunger and curiosity about the outside world. Zheng He’s father’s was directly responsible for the worldly impressions he left on Zheng He as a young boy prepared to travel the world.

Louis Levathes

In the readings of from 1405 to 1433 Louise Levathes indicated Zheng He travels were successful from 1405 to 1433 traveling to China Seas, Indian Oceans, Taiwan, Persian Gulf, and Africa. According to the author Levathes, Zheng He traveled to places other maritime commander’s dream of making the journey. The European and Arabian expeditions did not want to make the travel to the lands in the far west because they felt it only offered rewards of wine and wool. As result of Zheng He travels brought foreign goods from abroad, new medicines, unprecedented geographic maps that flowed into China during his expeditions. Zheng He was responsible for spreading the political powers to other regions and political influence across the seas. The author’s shares that the Zheng He ship building abilities could have change the power struggle across the world. The best example is the Vasco de Gama ship Columbus St. Maria was a fierce maritime ship that was feared by the world, which measured eighty-feet. Vasco de Gama crossed over into the Indian Ocean. Zheng He ship was an amazing four hundred feet. The author believes that the sheer size and power of the Zheng He four feet ship would have prevented anyone from invading the Indian Ocean. The legend of the successful journeys live on in folklore, however, Zheng He was travel to lands that were discovered hundreds of years later.

Zheng He Outside World

Zheng He mission was to show other countries the power and political reach of the Chinese regime. Zheng He was the diplomatic representative of China. Zheng embraced other cultures collecting culture items and rewards from every place he visited. The Chinese leaders instructed Zheng He not to destroy civilizations but to spread the news of the Chinese reach and power. Zheng relationship with the outside worlds collaborative and successful creating allies with other nations.

Notes

China.org, Admiral Zheng He(1371-1433): The Early Years. Accessed October 1,2013 http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/zhenhe/131897.htm