Today I set off towards India. Instead I landed in Champa (Vietnam), Calicut (India), and the Indonesian Island of Java. In Champa I traded silks and porcelain for spices. In Calicut we traded for coral, pepper, pearls, and precious jewels. Along my journey I came across the fierce pirate Chen Zuyi, who I defeated, and brought him to Nanjing where he was executed. In addition to all this, I created political ties with other empires and countries.
1407-1409
This is my second journey for China. On this voyage I strengthened my political ties with Sumatra and India. In addition I picked up ambassadors to bring back to my home country of China.
1409-1411
This is my third voyage for China. On this voyage I have engaged in battle with Tamil and Sinhalese forces which was our first abroad battle. I also set up a stela at Dondra in Sri Lanka, and on it we engraved a message to Allah, Buddha, and Shiva exemplifying a sense of community.
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Unfortunately the middle pages of this travel journal have been lost or discarded. All we know of these middle voyages is quite vague. What we know is that after He's first voyage he made 6 additional voyages in the time frame of 28 years. He explored further and more abroad into places such as the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. Here he acquired exotic animals (such as Arabian horses, lions, leopards, elephants, zebras, and giraffes) along with other trade goods and tribute.
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1431-1433
I am writing in this journal for Zheng He because on our way back to China Zheng has unfortunately passes away. We traveled during the reign of a new emperor who happens to be the grandson of our previous emperor Yongle. His name is Xuande. The political support we needed to complete this journey was not given and therefore our fleet quickly faded and He died along the journey back home.
Source(s):
World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, s.v. "Zheng He Maritime
Expeditions (Overview)," accessed March 11, 2013.
http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/.
World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, s.v. "Zheng He
Maritime Expeditions (Overview)," accessed March 12, 2013.
http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/
What effect did his travels have on the citizens of places such as Vietnam and India? I like your piece about the missing pages and He being killed before he could finish his journal.
ReplyDeleteGreetings fellow navigator. I applaud your great exploration feets, but am questioning the outcomes. What did you gain for your country other than political stability
ReplyDeleteI see that we have a lot in common! We both want to go to Asia! I think that it is great that you keep trying to go back to China! I also think it is great that you are trying to pursue your dream! What is a stela?
ReplyDelete-Christopher Columbus