Case Study: China
Exploration: Ming Dynasty
Zheng He, Cheng Ho, original name Ma Sanbao, later Ma He, (born c. 1371, Kunyang, near Kunming, Yunnan province, China—died 1433, Calicut [now Kozhikode], India), admiral and diplomat who helped extend the maritime and commercial influence of China throughout the regions bordering the Indian Ocean. He commanded seven naval expeditions almost a century before the Portuguese reached India by sailing around the southern tip of Africa.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zheng-He
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zheng-He
Required viewing:
Questions to answer while watching the video:
- Describe the many projects of the Yongle emperor to proclaim Ming power. Why do you think that the voyages to the west were the most grand?
- Why has the Yongle emperor been called one of the most active of the Ming emperors, both militarily and politically?
- Why has the role of the Mediterranean Sea for Europe been compared to that of the Indian Ocean for Asia?
- Why did the Ming court rely so heavily on imperial eunuchs like Zheng He to carry out its policies rather than on traditional Confucian officials?
- Compare China's maritime power in the fifteenth century with Europe's at that time. What was the basis for China's naval power?
- Why do you think that the overseas voyages were halted? Just as important, why do you think that the Yongle emperor's attempt to reinstate the traditional tributary system was abandoned? What were some of the implications of these decisions?
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