ming china and zheng he - mrcaseyhistory · pdf filemalaysia, with siam and india, but even...

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Ming China and Zheng He IntroductionIn1279theMongolleaderKublaiKhanconqueredChinaandfoundedtheYuandynasty.AfterKublaiKhan’sdeathin1294,however,theYuandynastyweakened.Thisweakness,combinedwithChinesehatredofMongolrule,ledtorebellion,andtheriseofanewdynasty:TheMing.TheMingDynastyismostfamousfortwoaccomplishments.TheybuilttheGreatWallasweknowittoday,theincrediblestonestructurestretchingacrosstheedgeofthesteppe,asymbolandamessagetotheMongolsandtotheworld,thatChinawouldneveragainbeconqueredbysteppenomads.Thesecondaccomplishmentwasashort-livedbutveryimpressiveseriesofChineseseavoyagesthroughouttheIndianOceanworldledbythefamousadmiralZhengHe.Directions:Readandannotatethedocuments,andanswerthefollowingquestionsinfullsentences.ReclaimingChina:TheRiseoftheMingDynastyIn1368apeasantnamedZhuYuanzhang(JOOYOO-AHN-jahng)andhisrebelarmyoverthrewthelastMongolemperorofChina.ZhutookthenameHongwu,meaning“vastlymartial,”andfoundedtheMingdynasty.Mingmeans“brilliant,”andMingChinalastednearly300yearsuntil1644.Duringthisperiod,China’srulersgainedcontrolofKorea,Mongolia,andpartsofCentralandSoutheastAsia.HavingexpelledtheMongols,HongwuworkedtorebuildChina.Hereducedtaxesandpassedreformstoimproveagricultureandtrade,increasingstabilityandprosperityinChina.Inaddition,HongwuworkedtoeliminateMongolinfluencesandtorevivetraditionalChinesevaluesandpractices,suchasConfucianprinciples.Forexample,toobtaingovernmentofficialseducatedinConfucianideas,herestoredandimprovedthecivilserviceexaminationsystem.Torootoutcorruption,heincreasedtheinfluenceofcensors,officialswhomonitoredgovernment.Atthesametime,Hongwugreatlyexpandedhispowerasemperor.Hedidawaywiththepositionsofsomehigh-levelofficialsandtookovermorecontrolofthegovernment.Asaresult,theMingemperorsweremuchmorepowerfulthanemperorsofpreviousdynasties.Inaddition,Hongwueliminatedanyonewhomhesawaschallenginghisauthority,andovertimehehadthousandsofhisrivalskilled.Source:“TheMingandQingDynasties,”SusanRamirez,etal.,WorldHistory:HumanLegacy

1. HowweretheMingEmperorsdifferentfrompreviousemperors?Bespecific.

InterestingFactsAboutZhengHe'sEarlyLifeZhengHewasbornin1371inthecitynowcalledJinning,inYunnanProvince.Hisgivennamewas"MaHe,"indicativeofhisfamily'sHui(ChineseMuslim)origins,sinceMaistheChineseversionof"Mohammad."ZhengHe'sgreat-great-great-grandfather,SayyidAjjalShamsal-DinOmar,hadbeenaPersiangovernoroftheprovinceundertheMongolianEmperorKublaiKhan,founderoftheYuanDynasty,whichruledChinafrom1279to1368.MaHe'sfatherandgrandfatherwerebothknownas"Hajji,"thehonorifictitlebestoweduponMuslimmenwhomakethehajj(pilgrimage)toMecca.MaHe'sfatherremainedloyaltotheYuanDynastyevenastherebelforcesofwhatwouldbecometheMingDynastyconqueredlargerandlargerswathesofChina.In1381,theMingarmykilledMaHe'sfatherandcapturedtheboy.Just10yearsold,hewasmadeintoaeunuch(castratedservant)andsenttoBeiping(nowBeijing)toserveinthehouseholdof21-year-oldZhuDi,thePrinceofYan,wholaterbecametheYongleEmperor.MaHegrewtobe7Chinesefeettall(probablyaround6'6"),with"avoiceas

loudasahugebell."Heexcelledatfightingandmilitarytactics,studiedtheworksofConfuciusandMencius,andsoonbecameoneoftheprince'sclosestconfidants.Inthe1390s,thePrinceofYanlaunchedaseriesofattacksagainsttheresurgentMongols,whowerebasedjustnorthofhisfiefdom.MaHefoughtsidebysidewithhimonalltheprince'scampaigns.ThefirstemperoroftheMingDynasty,PrinceZhuDi'seldestbrother,diedin1398,afternaminghisgrandsonZhuYunwenashissuccessor.ZhuDididnottakekindlytohisnephew'selevationtothethrone,andleadanarmyagainsthimin1399.MaHewasoneofhiscommandingofficers.By1402,ZhuDihadcapturedtheMingcapitalatNanjinganddefeatedhisnephew'sforces.HehadhimselfcrownedastheYongleEmperor.Source:“ZhengHe:MingChina'sGreatAdmiral,”KallieSzczepanski,AsianHistoryExpert,About.com

2. HowdoesZhengHe’sfaithandlineage(ancestry)reflectthediversityfostered(supported)bytheMongolrulersofChinaduringthepreviousYuanDynasty?

3. HowdidZhengHerisetoapositionofpowerwithintheMingDynasty?

GreatVoyagesAcrosstheSeas

ZhengHe'smostimportantroleinhismaster'sservice,andthereasonheisrememberedtoday,wasasthecommanderinchiefofthenewtreasurefleet,andastheemperor'sprincipalenvoytothepeoplesoftheIndianOceanbasin.TheYongleEmperorappointedhimtoheadthemassivefleetof317junks(junks=typeofChineseships),crewedbyover27,000men,thatsetoutfromNanjinginthefallof1405.Attheageof35,ZhengHehadachievedthehighestrankeverforaeunuchinChinesehistory.WithamandatetocollecttributeandestablishtieswithrulersallaroundtheIndianOceanshores,ZhengHeandhisarmadasetforthforCalicut,onIndia'swesterncoast.ItwouldbethefirstofseventotalvoyagesoftheTreasureFleet,allcommandedbyZhengHe,between1405and1432.Duringhiscareerasanavalcommander,ZhengHenegotiatedtradepacts,foughtpirates,installedpuppetkings,andbroughtbacktributefortheYongleEmperorintheformofjewels,medicinesandexoticanimals,amongotherthings.Heandhiscrewtravelledandtradedwithnotonlywiththecity-statesofwhatisnowIndonesiaand

Malaysia,withSiamandIndia,butevenwiththeArabianportsofmodern-dayYemenandSaudiArabia,andasfarasSomaliaandKenya.Source:“ZhengHe:MingChina'sGreatAdmiral,”KallieSzczepanski,AsianHistoryExpert,About.comAtthestartofthefirstofZhengHe'sepicvoyagesin1403,itissaidthat317shipsgatheredintheportofNanjing.AssociologistJanetAbu-Lughodnotes,"TheimpressiveshowofforcethatparadedaroundtheIndianOceanduringthefirstthreedecadesofthe15thcenturywasintendedtosignalthe'barbariannations'thatChinahadreassumedherrightfulplaceinthefirmamentofnations—hadonceagainbecomethe'MiddleKingdom'oftheworld."…ZhengHecommemoratedhisadventuresonastonepillardiscoveredinFujianprovinceinthe1930s.Hismission,accordingtothepillar,wastoflauntthemightofChinesepowerandcollecttributefromthe"barbariansfrombeyondtheseas."Source:“AncientChineseExplorers,”EvanHadingham,NOVA,PBS.orgLikeahugefloatingcity,thefleetsailedfromporttoportalongtheIndianOcean.EverywhereZhengHewent,hedistributedgiftsincludingsilverandsilktoshowChinesesuperiority.Asaresult,morethan16countriessenttributetotheMingcourt.Source:“ChinaLimitsEuropeanContacts,”RogerBeck,etal.,WorldHistory:PatternsofInteraction

4. WhatwerethepurposesbehindZhengHe’svoyages?

GiantJunks!TheMingaccountofthevoyagesthatfollowedstrainscredulity(ishardtobelieve):"TheshipswhichsailtheSouthernSeaarelikehouses.Whentheirsailsarespreadtheyarelikegreatcloudsinthesky."Werethereporteddimensionsofthebiggestgalleons—over400feetlongby150wide—grossexaggerations?Ifaccurate,thesedimensionswouldsignalthebiggestwoodenshipseverbuilt.OnlythemightiestwoodenwarshipsoftheVictorianageapproachedtheselengths,andseveralofthesevesselssufferedfromstructuralproblemsthatrequiredextensiveinternalironsupportstoholdthehulltogether.NosuchstructuresarereportedintheChinesesources.However,in1962,therudderpostofatreasureshipwasexcavatedintheruinsofoneoftheMingboatyardsinNanjing.Thistimberwasnolessthan36feetlong.Reverseengineeringusingtheproportionstypicalofatraditionaljunkindicatedahulllengthofaround500feet.Source:“AncientChineseExplorers,”EvanHadingham,NOVA,PBS.orgDoyouthinktheseshipswereaslargeastheaccountssay?Whyorwhynot?

SoCloseYetSoFarWhydidChina,withitsadvancednavaltechnology,turnitsbackonoverseasexploration?Historiansarenotsure.Somespeculatethatthefleetswerecostlyanddidnotproduceprofit.Also,Confucianscholarsatcourthadlittleinterestinoverseasventuresandcommerce.Tothem,Chinesecivilizationwasthemostsuccessfulintheworld.Theywantedtopreserveitsancienttraditions,whichtheysawasthesourceofstability.Infact,suchrigidloyaltytotraditionwouldeventuallyweakenChinaandonceagainleaveitpreytoforeigndomination.Fewerthan60yearsafterChinahaltedoverseasexpeditions,theexplorerChristopherColumbuswouldsailwestfromSpaininsearchofasearoutetoAsia.WecanonlywonderhowthecourseofhistorymighthavechangediftheChinesehadcontinuedtheexplorationstheyhadbegunundertheMing.Source:“TheMongolandMingEmpires,”ElizabethGaynorEllis&AnthonyEsler,WorldHistoryChinesescholar-officialscomplainedthatthevoyageswastedvaluableresourcesthatcouldbeusedtodefendagainstbarbarians’attacksonthenorthernfrontier.Aftertheseventhvoyage,in1433,Chinawithdrewintoisolation.Source:“ChinaLimitsEuropeanContacts,”RogerBeck,etal.,WorldHistory:PatternsofInteractionTheMingfacedarenewedMongolthreattothenorth.Toimprovedefense,theMingrestoredChina’sGreatWall.Partsofearlierwallswererepairedbutmostoftheconstructionwasnew.Infact,muchoftheGreatWallthatisseentodaywasbuiltduringtheMingperiod.Source:“TheMingandQingDynasties,”SusanRamirez,etal.,WorldHistory:HumanLegacy

Withunrivalednauticaltechnologyandcountlessotherinventionstotheircredit,

theChinesewerenowpoisedtoexpandtheirinfluencebeyondIndiaandAfrica.Herewasoneofhistory'sgreatturningpoints.HadtheChinese

emperorscontinuedtheirhugeinvestmentsinthetreasurefleets,thereislittlereasonwhythey,ratherthanthePortuguese,Spanish,DutchandBritish,shouldnothavecolonizedtheworld.Yetlessthanacenturylater,alloverseastradewasbanned,anditbecameacapitaloffensetosetsailfromChinainamulti-mastedship.Whatexplainsthisastonishingreversalofpolicy?Source:“AncientChineseExplorers,”EvanHadingham,NOVA,PBS.org

5. Whatpossiblereasonsmayhavemotivatedtheabruptendtooverseasexploration?Givemorethanone.

6. Useyourhistoricalimagination.HowmighthistoryhaveturnedoutdifferentlyifChinahadnotstoppedtheirexploration,andperhapscontinuedtoadvanceandexplorefurther?