WHI-Chap22-Zheng He
Zheng He was put in charge by the Chinese Emperor Yongle to lead seven expeditions that took place between 1405 to 1433. The purpose of these expeditions was to impose imperial control over foreign trade with China and to impress foreign peoples with the power and might that the Ming Dynasty had restored to China. Zheng was a Muslim from Yunnan in southwestern China who gained enough power to become a trusted advisor of Emperor Yongle. On his first three voyages, he went to southeast Asia, India, and Ceylon. The fourth expedition was to the Persian Gulf and Arabia, and he later traveled to the east African coast. Throughout his travels, he distributed Chinese goods, and would receive gifts in return. Zheng He attained his goals through diplomacy, however, he rarely had need to engage in hostilities. He was said to be fierce and would never back down when he needed to fight. He suppressed pirates who had plagued Chinese and southeast Asian waters. he made displays of military force when local officials threatened his fleet. When he returned from his fourth voyage, he brought envoys from 30 states to pay their respects at the Ming court. In the mid-1430s, Ming emperors suddenly decided to end the expeditions because Confusion ministers argued that the money spent on these trips should be devoted to agriculture. Thus, the expeditions ended in 1433, after Zheng He's seventh voyage. His expeditions illustrate that China could exercise military, political, and economic influence throughout the Indian Ocean basin.
