Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Non-Fiction 2019 | Page 25

The truth about the Ming Treasure Voyages
Korean International School, Hittori, Ginka -11
“Ming Treasure Voyages” has been most frequently argued in the variety of academic society by those
people who are studying the history belong to archaeology, anthropology, linguistics and geopolitics. The
main reason why it is a serious topic is that they might have discovered the US continent before the visit of
Christopher Columbus who has been recorded as the discoverer of America in the world’s first and even
accomplished round-the-world by fleets earlier than Ferdinand Magellan. While this discussion is doubtful
in reality, these days it can be said that their voyage is remarkably evaluated. If they did not sail to outside of
country, many opportunities would be losing such as exchange of culture, new discovery and new
innovation in our social system. In this background, many scholars have been starting to rethink of those
missions what they did in terms of new discovery and also the Chinese history has been positively enhanced
by people whose minds have been gradually noticed in society in the world.
What did they make in their voyages? First of all, Mr. Zheng He who was born in Kunming, Yunnan,
China was the fleet admiral to sail out to Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, and East Africa from
1405-1433, which were seven times voyages to have had led seven oceans’ discovery. He was assigned
upon the missions, which by Ming emperor whose name was Zhu Di was the third emperor of the Ming
dynasty in China and the fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor who was the founder of the Ming dynasty.
According to the general articles, the missions of the voyage would be several reasons such as exploring the
new areas, to expand business trading and diplomatic friendly ships, and moreover the most reason why
Ming empire wanted to make was to show their power to people and as a result many other countries
thoroughly would recognize China's superiority to increase their trade. If refused, the admiral, Mr. He, did
use force to those people, but they wanted to solve any issues peacefully by using the exchange of tribute
and gifts. Mr. Zheng He is well known of originally Muslim, therefore he might have a basic principle to
create well cooperation with merchants who were coming from Muslim society in the ports.
In the first voyage, they traveled the route from China to Southeast Asia and to India, all the route to
major trading sites on Indian coast, and then in the next voyage they also sailed out with around 250 ships to
Thailand, Java, Aru, Lambri, Coimbatore, Cochin and Calicut, where it would have been present for the
installation of a new king as well as visited for the sultan of Brunei. Started from the year of 1409 they again
visited with around 50 fleets and thirty thousand mariners in Southeast area. In the fourth voyage in late
1413, they sailed out to the Persian Gulf ordered by the emperor to the Arab port visited in Hormuz would
be expected to be more widely profitability from the new trade. A team visited in Bengal and the new king
accompanied when returned to China, who gave China emperor a giraffes which he had received from the
ruler of Kenya. In addition, emperor instructed to reorganize the king of Samudera. In order to further
expand their area, they reached out on his next voyage in 1417, arrived at the port of Aden, which is
gateway to the Red Sea. In the 5 th voyage, they went to Southeast, Indian coast, Arab area and Africa. They
exchanged their gifts for premium stones and animals by the sultan. The fleets went to the African coast with
ambassadors from Mogadishu, Somolia, and Kenya to their homelands. The 6 th voyage started from 1421 to
return other African envoys with 40 fleets, they would visit to Southeast, Arab and African countries. After
the visit, the Chinese emperor died in the year 1424. The son who became emperor and immediately issued
an official banning of any further voyages by the navy, however, the new emperor died within a few years
and the former emperor's grandson came to the throne and ordered one last voyage appointed with Zheng
He, left in 1431, to visit Southeast, India and the African coast. It consisted of over 100 fleets and more than
27,000 marines. During this travel, Zheng He died on the return voyage in 1433 at the west coast of India.
While he dedicated to innovation of numberless valuable things in China in the period, no more voyages
after his death existed because of became more conservative in China and the records had been destroyed for
the long time of Chinese history. The kind of fleets had never happened in the world until World War I
again started with many fleets. For these voyage arranged by China the impact definitely caused many areas
in the world. It would be both of positive and negative sides but in terms of worldwide history it brought us
evolution by exchanged the local things like animals, plants, art and so on. Nowadays, the innovated
technology has been greatly accreting our knowledges, which is, needless to say, internet technology is
connecting everything even from any long distance, and moreover people would be unnecessary to look and
touch upon real things. However, should we accelerate more this status than before that we need to take a
certain time to go to there to see? Humans should shortly face the situation to make a decision whether or
not to shift to the virtual world instead of the real one.