When China Ruled the Seas
For nearly three decades in the early 15th century China was the most powerful force in the world. They had fine artisans who crafted the most beautiful, delicate porcelains and silks in the known world. They had the technologies of firepower, astronomy, and oceanic navigation. They had the belief that they were the center of the world, the "Middle Kingdom," and that the Son of Heaven ruled them. But most importantly, they had the means to bring their influences and culture to the rest of the world: the "treasure ships." These massive ocean-going junks, led by the eunuch Zheng He, launched China from a rich, expansive, yet introverted land, to the ruler of the Indian Ocean. Emissaries from as far away as Africa came to China to pay tribute to the Son of Heaven and acknowledge China's power. China was in a position to become the great colonizing nation of the world in a time when Europe was just awakening from the Dark Ages. In less than a century all of this was thrown away. Louise Levanthes's book, When China Ruled the Seas, is an exploration of how and why China rose to this pinnacle of power through the fleet of treasure ships, and the reasons behind its sudden self-inflicted isolation from the rest of the world.
From the time of Confucius in the sixth century until the late thirteen hundreds, most Chinese emperors were governed by the Confucian guidelines. Texts upon texts were written on the proper ways to conduct oneself according to Confucian ideals, and schools were founded in Confucius's teachings. Confucianists had an exceedingly conservative view of trade, especially trade with foreigners. They thought that "foreign trade and contact with the outside world were linked to . . . all that was wasteful and extravagant in the empire. A desire for contact with the outside world meant that China itself needed something from abroad and was therefore not strong and self-sufficient." (180) This view was largely responsible for China's lack of involvement with the business of international trade. Until 1405, China's contact with outsiders was kept to a minimum; occasional emissaries from other countries came to pay tribute to the emperor, and border skirmishes with the Mongols were dealt with when necessary. On the whole, the Chinese shied away from all foreign involvement whenever they could. When Zhu Di captured the dragon throne from his nephew in 1402, these Confucian policies were promptly thrown out. Just one year after he became China's emperor, Zhu Di began the construction of a massive fleet of trading ships, warships, and support vessels to reintroduce China to the rest of the world. The entirety of the Chinese empire was thrown into the task; everyone from silk-makers to loggers was required to meet production quotas to supply the fleet. In about three years Zhu Di's people produced these ships and the gifts to fill their hulls. Once Zheng He was named as the commander of the fleet, they were ready to sail. Zheng He's voyages were not very much like Columbus's in my opinion. They were both out to exert the control of their country on others, but that is where the likenesses end. Columbus sailed with a puny set of three functional ships, whereas Zheng He was in command of one of the greatest armadas of all history. Where Columbus's purposes were primarily exploration and trade along new, uncharted routes, the purpose of the treasure fleets was mostly diplomatic and it sailed along known trading routes. Columbus may have been looking for a bit of fame and money by discovering a new route to India, but what he ultimately ended up with was near immortality in the pages of American history. On the other hand, Zheng He's mission was to reintroduce China to the rest of the Indian Ocean and make China the greatest power of all time, and all he ended up with was a thirty-year blip on the map of history. Perhaps the least significant reason for the voyages by Zheng He and the treasure fleet is that of exploration. Although he had fairly effectively ignored most of the Confucian texts in dealing with trade and foreigners, there still did not seem to be much of an interest in exploration by Zhu Di. The Chinese believed that there were four corners of the ea
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Approximate Word count = 2014
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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