2. Zheng He's Voyages

Zheng He went on a total of seven voyages throughout his time as an admiral under the Ming Dynasty. Listed below is a summary of the voyages he embarked on.

1) The first of these, ordered by the Yongle Emperor Zhu Di, was to travel around the Indian Ocean. This voyage, starting in 1405, was comprised of Zheng He, 27,000 men, and 317 ships. The men were a diverse mix of soldiers, doctors, repairmen, and various scholars. At first they arrived in Vijaya, located in the modern Vietnam. From Vijaya the fleet went to Indonesia, Sumatra, and Sri Lanka. On the way back from the voyage Zheng He encountered a group of pirates. He and his group destroyed the pirates, and brought their leader back to Nanjing for interogation and punishment.

2) The second of Zheng He's voyages took place in the year 1407, two years after his first expedition. This trip was organized by Zheng He to commemorate the inauguration of a new Calicut king. Many gifts and treasures for the king were brought on the ship. Zheng He, however, was not present on the expedition.

3) Voyage three took place in 1409 and was the return to Calicut. The purpose of this expedition was to bring more tribute and gifts to the new king. Crew size was a record high of 30,000, a number previously unheard of. Most of the stops along the route were the same as Zheng He's previous voyage, but Malacca and Sri Lanka were added. Some slight conflict occured between Zheng He's crew and an insignificant kingdom, but the Chinese overtook the kingdom and caputured the king.

4) Zheng He's fourth expedition took him and 63 ships to the nation of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. This was the farthest that the Chinese had reached, proving to the world that they were a force to be reckoned with. Ma Haun, one of the main chronicles of the time, decided to accompany Zheng He on this voyage. The Chinese took a detour in Sumatra to fight with a collapsing state, again taking back the leader to Nanjing for punishment.

5) From 1417 to 1419, Zheng He went on a voyage to return various South Asia heads of state back to their original homelands. They decided to travel to China after being visisted by Zheng He, delivering tribute to the Ming Dynasty and their people. The group of sailors then proceeded to travel to the Red Sea, Mogudishu, and Kenya. This was the farthest Zheng He had traveled to, surpassing all records set by his previous voyages. Zheng He had many small encounters with agressive peoples, but they did not stop the ships from reaching their destinations. Many ambassadors from various nations came along with the fleet on their return.

6) The sixth of Zheng He's voyages was primarily used to return the previously mentioned ambassadors to their nations. Zheng He returned after only a year, sending the rest of the armada down the east African coast to modern-day Mozambique. A few years after this voyage the Yongle Emperor, one of Zheng He's closest sponsors and friends, died. His replacement was dubbed the Hongxi Emperor, and shut down all of the voyages. However, he died within nine months of becoming king. The new Xuande Empreror, Hongxi's son, allowed for one more expedition to occur.

7) Zheng He's seventh voyage took place in 1429, the year he turned 59. His health was very poor, but Xuande appointed him to lead the voyage due to his history as a successful eunuch admiral. During this three year long trip the fleet visisted seventeen different nations, mostly between Kenya and Champa. During the return of the ships Zheng He died, ending the legacy of China's social expeditions. Men who accompanied him during this voyage brought back his shoes and a strain of hair to be buried in Nanjing.