The seven voyages of Zheng He

In 1368, in China, the Mongolian dynasty of Yuan is overthrown by the Ming dynasty of the Hongwu Emperor. But some regions resist the new power. This is notably the case in Yunnan, where Ma Sanbao is born around 1371. He would later be known as Zheng He. He is from a rich noble Muslim family, his father is a respected general who made the pilgrimage to Mecca. In 1381, a Ming army enters Yunnan to subdue the last rebel pockets. Ma Sanbao is captured, and his father is killed in battle. At the age of 13, Ma Sanbao becomes a eunuch. That is to say, he is castrated to ensure that he will never be able to found his own dynasty. He is then sent to the court of Zhu Di, the 4th son of the emperor, who is also the Prince of Yan in the North. Ma Sanbao is quickly recognized for his diplomatic and strategic skills, which allow him to rise in rank, until he becomes a recognized military commander at the age of 20. In 1398, Emperor Hongwu dies. His eldest son having already died, his grandson Jianwen takes the throne. But a civil war quickly breaks out between Jianwen and Zhu Di. The latter wins, and becomes the new Emperor under the name of Yongle. Ma Sanbao, having played a decisive role in the victory, is promoted to the most important position in the court by becoming Great Eunuch, and is renamed Zheng He. Yongle establishes his power and moves the capital to Beijing, where he orders the construction of a huge palace, which will become known as the Forbidden City. Moreover, he gathers more than 2000 scholars of all kinds to start writing the Yongle Encyclopedia, which would be the largest in the world for 6 centuries. Finally, to make his empire shine, he decides to organize a maritime expedition to the Western Ocean in order to establish diplomatic relations. Zheng He is appointed to organize and lead this expedition. He supervises the construction of a huge fleet of about 250 ships. They are mainly large junks, but also about sixty treasure ships, that is to say, ships of an unequaled size at the time, sometimes having up to 9 masts. The ships are loaded with food, live animals, and drinking water. On July 11, 1405, the fleet leaves with 27,800 men, mainly military. The expedition follows the already known trade routes, going to meet people who are still unknown in China. Zheng He has to greet the local sovereigns on behalf of the Ming emperor, and to offer them gifts. The expedition, after having skirted the coasts of Champa, reaches the island of Java, then goes up towards the island of Sumatra to pass the strait of Malacca. The ships then launch out into the open sea, reaching the island of Ceylon. There, the immense Ming fleet is perceived as a threat by the local king, who shows himself hostile to Zheng He. The expedition then continues its route to reach Calicut, an important commercial crossroads in the heart of the Indian Ocean. In 1407, Zheng He set out again towards the East. As he crosses the Straits of Malacca, he hears of a powerful Chinese pirate who has seized the city of Palembang and is attacking merchant ships. Zheng He wants to ensure stability in the region, and decides to play the role of policeman. Engaging in battle, he defeats the pirate and takes him prisoner. He returns to Nanjing on October 2, 1407. Zheng He tells the Emperor about his trip and his discoveries, mentioning in particular rare animals. Yongle is satisfied and orders a second expedition, which leaves a few days later. But it is not certain that Zheng He participated in this one. Overall, the itinerary is the same as the first expedition, with a passage to the kingdom of Siam, present-day Thailand. In 1409, a third expedition set out, this time it is certain that Zheng He is its commander. Arriving in Ceylon, he decides to attack the local king, who remains hostile to him and to the new Ming Empire allies. After engaging in battle, Zheng He prevails, and a new king favorable to the Ming takes the throne. In addition, Zheng He erects a stele on the island, on which is written – in Chinese, Persian, and Tamil – an offering, which is made to Buddha, to Allah, and to Vishnu. A year and a half later, in 1413, a fourth expedition is organized. This time, Zheng He is charged with venturing further afield to continue to expand Chinese influence throughout the world, and to strengthen diplomatic relations by bringing new gifts to the rulers. After reaching Calicut, he continues on to Hormuz, discovering a great trading city filled with foreign merchants. On the way back, Zheng He learns that in Samudera, the sultan with whom he is in contact is being challenged by a rebel who is trying to take over. This time, Zheng He intervenes directly in internal affairs in order to protect the interests of the Ming Empire. On his return to Nanjing, emissaries from different states brought gifts to the Yongle emperor as a sign of gratitude. The Emperor gives them paper money (which is a Chinese invention), copper coins, and silk fabrics. The following year, in 1417, the emperor charges Zheng He to leave in order to accompany the emissaries back home. After reaching Hormuz, Zheng He pushes the expedition even further, and sails along the coasts of the Arabian Peninsula, and then Africa. On the way, he receives giraffes, zebras, lions, ostriches, rhinoceroses, and elephants. Zheng He returns to China and hands over all these exotic animals to the Emperor. He then leaves for a sixth expedition of a similar nature. But while he is at sea, the situation becomes complicated for Yongle. Financially, the numerous construction sites in the new capital Beijing, the military expeditions against the Mongols, and the diplomatic expeditions of Zheng He are very expensive, and cause discontent among the populace. Yongle then decides to temporarily suspend the expeditions of Zheng He. In the north, the Mongols take advantage of the instability to launch new military raids against China. The Emperor then takes the head of an army and goes to fight them, but he dies in campaign, on August 12, 1424. His son Hongxi comes to power and permanently suspends Zheng He's travels. But he dies the following year, and is replaced by his own son, Xuande. The latter orders Zheng He to finalize the construction of the Nanjing Porcelain Pagoda. Then in 1431, he authorizes Zheng He to make a seventh and last journey to inform all the kingdoms of the changes in the Ming Empire. The expedition again follows the same route. This time, part of the crew even reaches Jeddah to go to Mecca. On the way back, in 1433, Zheng He dies at the age of 62. In China, instability remains high, and diplomatic expeditions, which had become unpopular, are henceforth prohibited, as well as the construction of new large ships. The huge imperial fleet is dismantled, and the archives and other documents mentioning Zheng He's expeditions are destroyed or lost. On July 11, 2005, 600 years after the departure of the first expedition, China decides to make July 11 the maritime day of China, in honor of Zheng He.