Maritime Voyages and Trade
Though few maritime voyages were made throughout the Ming Dynasty in China (1368-1644), they still stand up as some of the best expeditions in all of history. Promoting maritime expeditions throughout his reign, the Ming Emperor, Zhu Di, made Zheng He, a trusted childhood friend, the captain of numerous voyages. The resources and time put into the naval expeditions allowed the Ming to expand their territory as well as improve their economy through trade with other civilizations.
Admiral Zheng HeAdmiral Zheng He, who led the
expeditions, came to discover many lands, centuries before the European
explorers ever knew they had existed. The expeditions, which lasted from 1405 -
1433, had multiple purposes. The expeditions would allow China to explore new
foreign territories while having trading partners with the civilizations along
the way. Armed with massive fleets containing "Treasure Ships" as
mentioned before, Admiral Zheng He and his crew sailed, discovering almost all
of Southeastern Asia, including parts of Europe and Africa. Along the way, they
met other nations and there were some immediate reactions. Because Admiral
Zheng He’s fleet was so large, most of the civilizations they met were forced
into submission while others rebelled and fought back, but were destroyed
easily without many losses. The Yongle Emperor thought that he would need other
nations and civilizations as trading partners to allow the Ming Dynasty’s reign
to last and flourish.
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The Emperor that started it allEmperor Zhu Di, was one of two emperors in the Ming Dynasty that was interested in the exploration of the world and trading. Allowing himself to be in charge with the Mongols up north and keeping them at bay, he gave Zheng He full control over the expeditions that would show the rest of the world China’s power and superiority over other nations. Wanting to show off the Ming’s superiority, the fleet contained 317 ships, with around 28,000 men. In the fleet, there were certain ships called “Treasure Ships”, which were around 400 feet long and 160 feet wide. In addition, around the time of Emperor Zhu Di’s rule, China’s naval technology was at its finest. Though only seven expeditions of this immensity were made, many Chinese historians agree that the expeditions made by Admiral Zheng He were some of the best in the entire history of the world.
Trade Due to voyagesTrading with nations such as countries in the Middle East, India, and Africa have benefitted the Ming tremendously. For example, from the 15th century, the Ming had converted their currency from paper money to silver bars due to inflation and needed to have a sufficient amount of silver to maintain their economy. Because they traded with the Portuguese and the Spanish, they received enough silver for currency. In addition, because the Ming traded with other civilizations, they received cures for certain diseases that were currently spreading throughout the Middle Kingdom. Also, trading with the Europeans became a business that soon proved to be lucrative. Blue-white porcelain was highly looked upon in Europe, thus bringing the Ming prosperity as well as supporting the economy. As a result, trading with foreign nations not only benefited the Emperor and his fame, but also benefited the economy.
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As one can clearly see,
trade and exploration benefited the Ming in many ways. The Ming had a much
larger view of the world and began trading with other nations that they met
with along the way. They prospered from trade and strengthened their
economy by doing so. In the end, though only seven expeditions led by Admiral
Zheng He were made, they contributed to the Ming like no other expedition ever
did.
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http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Ming/ming-econ.html.
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http://www.hist.umn.edu/hist1012/primarysource/source.htm.
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http://digital-art-gallery.com/picture/3291.
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http://diversitytomorrow.com/thread/265/0/.
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http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/ming-dynasty-map.cfm.
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http://elogedelart.canalblog.com/archives/2010/02/27/17061643.html.
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