Chloe Smith
World History
Zheng He’s Voyages
30 October 2016
In 1368, Hongwu led a rebel army that finally drove the Mongols out of China. Hongwu then became the first Ming Dynasty emperor and he ruled from the capital, Yuan. Even though Hongwu was able to implement stability in China, problems arose and he became a ruthless tyrant. He doubted the loyalty of his officials and then killed thousands of them. After Hongwu’s death in 1398, his son, Yonglo, became the new emperor. Yonglo had intellectual curiosity about the outside world and sent seven Voyages, all led by Zheng He. Yonglo wanted to explore and find new lands, institute new trade relationships, and show the world how great and powerful China was (Background essay). Zheng He’s …show more content…
The gifts included silver and silk. Showing the other countries the riches and greatness of China intimidated them, and in return they would send tributes as a sign of respect and for the weaker countries a sign of humbleness (Doc D). Travelling to these other countries did not benefit China. These lands were already pre-established and had nothing that China did not have or something they would want to trade (Doc A) . Zheng He did not find or explore any new lands and that also hindered the economy because they did not profit from any new land that could expand China or profit China with new findings of gold, silver, or foods. The large amounts of crew and ships also created a weakness in China’s economy because of the expenses for the food, technology, and weapons needed on the ships. These voyages were expensive and useless because Zheng He had made no discoveries nor any new trades. His use for these voyages were unclear and …show more content…
His voyages ended up failing because they weakened China’s economy by giving away large amounts of silver and silk to the other established countries. Even though they received tributes in return, it did not make up for the wasteful expenditures (Doc D). Lastly, his intentions for these voyages were unclear because he did not discover, profit, or conquer any of the lands he travelled to. Zheng He’s voyages failed and it caused serious damage to China economically, proving his voyages should not be
World History
Zheng He’s Voyages
30 October 2016
In 1368, Hongwu led a rebel army that finally drove the Mongols out of China. Hongwu then became the first Ming Dynasty emperor and he ruled from the capital, Yuan. Even though Hongwu was able to implement stability in China, problems arose and he became a ruthless tyrant. He doubted the loyalty of his officials and then killed thousands of them. After Hongwu’s death in 1398, his son, Yonglo, became the new emperor. Yonglo had intellectual curiosity about the outside world and sent seven Voyages, all led by Zheng He. Yonglo wanted to explore and find new lands, institute new trade relationships, and show the world how great and powerful China was (Background essay). Zheng He’s …show more content…
The gifts included silver and silk. Showing the other countries the riches and greatness of China intimidated them, and in return they would send tributes as a sign of respect and for the weaker countries a sign of humbleness (Doc D). Travelling to these other countries did not benefit China. These lands were already pre-established and had nothing that China did not have or something they would want to trade (Doc A) . Zheng He did not find or explore any new lands and that also hindered the economy because they did not profit from any new land that could expand China or profit China with new findings of gold, silver, or foods. The large amounts of crew and ships also created a weakness in China’s economy because of the expenses for the food, technology, and weapons needed on the ships. These voyages were expensive and useless because Zheng He had made no discoveries nor any new trades. His use for these voyages were unclear and …show more content…
His voyages ended up failing because they weakened China’s economy by giving away large amounts of silver and silk to the other established countries. Even though they received tributes in return, it did not make up for the wasteful expenditures (Doc D). Lastly, his intentions for these voyages were unclear because he did not discover, profit, or conquer any of the lands he travelled to. Zheng He’s voyages failed and it caused serious damage to China economically, proving his voyages should not be