Yongle Emperor

Decades before the age of European exploration, the Chinese had already begun their own voyages. Seven of which were captained by a Chinese man named Zheng He. In 1371, Zheng He was born into a Muslim family in China, with the original name, Ma He. Later in his life, Zheng He became a loyal servant and friend of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty. The emperor, impressed and appreciative of He’s accomplishments and loyalty, gave Ma He the surname Zheng along with military power. In 1405, Zheng He conducted the first of seven voyages on behalf of Emperor Yongle. China wanted to show the world its power and become richer, and going on these voyages was a way to do that. Nevertheless, these voyages should not be celebrated because they wasted many of China’s resources, the routes were only to land known by the Chinese, and tribute received when in ports did not help China’s economy and created less biodiversity in China. China wasted a great…

Noor Shahin The 7 voyages of Zheng He In 1403, the Yongle Emperor ordered the construction of a massive fleet of ships capable of traveling the Indian Ocean successfully. His political motive for starting these expeditions was so that he could enlist states an imperial tribute system that increased the domestic prestige of the emperor because china considered itself the center of the world. The voyages consisted of 27,000 men aboard 317 ships. In 1405, Chinese imperial fleet set out on its…

Zheng He was a Chinese Muslim admiral during the Ming Dynasty. In 1405, Zheng He received orders from Emperor Yongle to travel down the coast of China and across the ocean to India to show the power of China. For the next 28 years, Zheng He would lead seven voyages and sailed distances farther than anyone had before. He commanded numerous ships of breath-taking size with thousands of people in his crew and established peaceful relationships with other areas. The voyages of Zheng He should be…

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…

The first reason as to why we should not celebrate the voyages of Zheng He is the trips were costly. When you look at map on Document A you can see he traveled in an unusual route, this proves that he was already traveling to well-established ports. It was all planned and he was not traveling to unknown lands, or really discovering anything. During his seven voyages he traveled about 105,300 miles combined, not only is that a long distance to travel but it also costs a lot of money. After all,…

opportunity to live in the United States today. Although, his voyages influenced the world we live in he wasn’t the first to travel across seas. Cheng Ho, Chinese sailor conducted several voyages across Asia under the rule of Yongle, also known as Yung-Lo. Sailing on seven voyages, where he learned about various cultures and traded resources influenced the…

Chinese population embraced and incorporated the new mentality and outlook. This section was composed of China's entrepreneurs, merchants, and certain landowners, sectors that had been historically held in low esteem and kept on a short and tight leash by China's predominantly Confucian political and cultural ruling elements. This section, now called the "Expansionists" would help bring China into exploration. In 1402 Yongle succeeded in toppling his nephew and taking the Ming throne, whereupon…

He held a respected résumé. Not only was he one of Emperor Yongle’s well trusted eunuchs, but he was also highly known for organizing large scale construction projects. In Zheng He: China and the Oceans in the Early Ming Dynasty: 1405-1433, Edward Dryer points out that He’s loyalty to the emperor, courage in battle, and prior leadership experiences made him the perfect man to lead and command the seven voyages. The first voyage set sail in 1405 and is a great example that these voyages were not…

This makes the giant panda the only known bear species that is predominantly a herbivore. Currently, giant pandas are listed as endangered: farming, deforestation, and other development has greatly reduced their natural habitat. Giant pandas are found only in Mainland China, and have always been revered as a cultural icon. Pandas have even been used by the Chinese government as diplomatic gifts in foreign policy interactions. Dubbed “Panda Diplomacy,” this practice dates back to the Tang…

Ming Dynasty, there were many Spy agencies developed by different emperors. They are the Eastern Depot Factory, Western Depot Factory and the Jinyiwei (Emperors’ personal bodyguards). Each were created for its own purpose and to each agency. Eastern Depot was created by Zhu Yuan Zhang’s fourth son Zhu Di. Western Depot was created by Zhu Jian Shen, Ming Dynasty’s eighth emperor. The most famous Jinyiwei was created by Hong Wu Emperor Zhu Yuan Zhang himself, it functioned as secret polices to…