Cheng Ho was a mariner,explorer,diplomatandfleet admiral, among other things. He commanded voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Africa, which became popular as the travels of Eunuch Sanbao to the Western Ocean. These voyages took place from 1405 to 1433 and enabled the Chinese navy to stamp its authority on the blue waters.
His rise to being an admiral is an accomplishment in itself as he was captured at Yunnan by the Ming army and made a eunuch. He was later presented to the Imperial Court as San Bao, which means Three Jewels. His rise in stature started here, where he swiftly became a trusted adviser of the Yongle Emperor. He had his hand in the deposition of the Jianwen Emperor. He received the title of Zheng by the emperor, for his services. 1
He was later appointed to the title of Defender of Nanjing in 1425, by the Hongxi. His meteoric rise did not stop here as 1428, he was asked by the Xuande Emperor to oversee the construction of a landmark temple, now Da Baoen Temple in Nanjing. His achievements reached a high point in 1430, where he was appointed to lead the seventh voyage of the Treasure Fleet. Sadly, this brought an end to an industrious career, as he died on the returning trip. He died at Hormuz, in 1433.
In its effort to impose imperial control over trade routes, the Ming government sponsored naval expeditions between 1405 and 1433. This also had its roots in the extension of the tributary system. Zheng He was placed as the admiral of a huge fleet and armed forces, with Wang Jinghing as his second in command. His first expedition had 317 ships with around 28,000 crewmen. Under his command, the fleets visited East Africa, Arabia, India, Malay Archipelago and Thailand (Siam). On his travels, diplomacy was the biggest weapon in Zheng Hes arsenal, with his large army helping him stress his position in full detail.
The voyages enabled the world to see the might of China. Zheng He would rule with an iron fist and would not take any threats lightly. His land wars n Ceylon were waged against pirates of the region. He worked on his agenda to make China a center of the world, as more and more envoys would come from states all over the world to China, to pay their respects. In his voyages Zheng He was also able to relocate a large number of Muslims at Malacca. He like most great admirals is buried at sea, though there is a tomb in his name in China. 2
As a result of Zheng Hes voyages, China was able to gain a lot of ground on its adversaries. Apart from the fact those envoys would come and pay its respects in the Ming courts. He also managed to bring exotic spices and trophies back to China, which were well received. It was the direct result of his land war in Ceylon that the King himself came to apologize to the Ming Emperor. The records of the last two Treasure Voyages were destroyed by the Ming Emperor. It is speculated that the ships made it to Iran on one side and Cape of Good Hope on the other.
It is said that Zheng He went around the world approximately a century before Christopher Columbus. A lot of parallels can be made between these two great navigators of the oceans. The advancement of Chinese in naval technology can be measured from this fact that while Columbuss ship was only 55ft long, Zheng He and his deputies rode in ships as long as 416 ft. Christopher Columbus alongside Vasco da Gama are known as the foremost discoverers o their time, but what Zheng He managed to do is out of their leagues. While these travelers were destitute in their conditions, Zheng He changed his fortunes over the years. He not only made China the hub of all activities, but also had a vision of success for the future. His naval fleet will still be any Admirals dream. Zheng He not only managed to develop relations with a lot of different states but also stamped Chinas authority in the world. From Arabia to Thailand, the Chinese fleets were both respected and envied for its superiority. It has been commented that if it were to be possible that we can combine all the ships under Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama, it will still be possible to put them all on the deck of a single ship under Zheng Hes command. 3 Such was the strength of his naval fleet, truly a source of envy to any admiral.
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