Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Non-Fiction 2019 | Page 46

Ming Treasure Voyages
Korean International School, Ting, Tsz Yau Amber Chloe - 16
In 1403 Nanjing, under the orders of Zhu Di or The Yongle Emperor, the early Ming Dynasty went
through a militaristic expansion with voyages such as the seven treasure voyages. The Yongle Emperor was
particularly aggressive and he wanted other countries to know how powerful China is and to perceive them
as the strongest country. He decided that it is the time China should make use of the advanced technology
and riches the state had to offer, for this special occasion he chose one of his most trusted general, a man he
had known since he was young, Zheng He.
China had their connections, but to satisfy the demand for spices, medicinal herbs, and raw materials,
Chinese merchants cooperated with Muslims and Indian traders to develop a network of trade that reached
past the southeast Asian islands to the edges of the Indian Ocean. Coming from the East China ports was
ginseng, celadon, lacquerware, gold and silver, horses and oxen from Korea and Japan. From the ports of
southern China came hardwoods and other tree related products, ivory, rhinoceros horn, kingfisher feathers,
ginger, sulfur and tin from Vietnam and Siam in the mainland Southeast Asia; cloves, nutmeg, batik fabrics,
pearls, tree resins, and bird plumes from Sumatra, Java, and the Moluccas in the island southeast Asia. The
Indian Ocean brought ships carrying cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and pepper from Calicut on
the southwestern coast of India, gemstones from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), as well as woolens, carpets, and more
precious stones from ports such as Hormuz on the Persian Gulf and Aden on the Red Sea.
The First Voyage, in the third lunar month of 1405, an order was issued for Zheng He and others to take
command of 27,000 troops to the Western Ocean. An imperial edict, estimated date on 11th July 1405, was
issued containing orders of an expedition. It was issued and addressed to Zheng He, wang Jinghong, and
others. The Yongle Emperor held a banquet for the crew on the evening before the first voyage, gifts were
presented to the crew according to their rank. Sacrifices and prayers were offered to Tianfei, the indigenous
goddess of the sea meant to protect fisherman and sailors. She has become a patron deity of Southern
Chinese and East Asian persons. Autumn of 1405, they assembled at Qinhuai River where the shipyard was
located, ready to depart from the city. The crew included sailors, builders, repairmen, soldiers, diplomatic
specialists, medical personnels, astronomers and also scholars of foreign ways. According to the Taizong shilu
11th July 1405 entry about the dispatch of the fleet, Admiral Zheng He and the crew departed for the first
expedition “bearing imperial letters of the countries of the Western Ocean and with gifts to their kings of
gold brocade, patterned silks, and colored silk gauze, according to their status.” The treasure fleet made their
first stop at Liujiagang, then the fleet was organized in squadrons, while the fleet’s crew honored the goddess
of sailors Tianfei with more prayers and sacrifices. Afterward, the fleet sailed down the Chinese coast,
towards the entrance of the Min River located in Sichuan, traveling east where they awaited the northeast
monsoon at the Taiping port located in Fujian. More prayers and sacrifices were then conducted for the
Tianfei goddess by the crew during the wait for the northeast monsoon. The fleet then departed via the
Wuhumen in Fujian.
The treasure fleet sailed to Champa, Java, Malacca, Aru, Sumatra, Lambri, Ceylon, Quilon, and Calicut.
From Lambri the crew sailed straight through the Indian Ocean rather than following the Bay of Bengal
coastline to Ceylon. Three days after the departure from Lambri, one of the ships split off and went to the
Andaman and Nicobar Island. The treasure fleet saw the mountains of Ceylon after another six days and
arrived at the western coast of Ceylon two days later. They were met with hostility from the Alagakkonara,
which was a prominent feudal family that provided powerful ministers and military rulers during the
medieval period in Sri Lanka, so the fleet left the place. Dreyer (2007) states that it is possible that Admiral
Zheng He made port at Quilon, but there is no account confirming this because the King of Quilon was
with the fleet when they returned to China in 1407. Mills (1970) states that the fleet may have had a four-
month stay at Calicut. Around the southern tip of the Indian Peninsula, the fleet changed direction and
began its returning journey back to China. While returning the fleet made port at Malacca again.
The Imperial order for the second voyage was issued in October 1407. The possible confusion of whether
Zheng He embarked the second voyage stemmed from the fact that a Chinese envoy was dispatched before
Zheng He had departed with the main body of the treasure fleet. The imperial decree for the third voyage
was issued during the period of the second voyage whilst the treasure fleet was still in the Indian Ocean
during that time, so either Zheng He was absent when the court issued the imperial order or he had not
embarked on the second voyage. On 21st January 1409, a grand ceremony was held in honor of the goddess