Zheng He:
China and the Oceans
in the
Early Ming Dynasty,
1405-1433

By Edward L. Dreyer

Christopher Columbus and the Great Age of Discovery
HIST 351  ~  Fall 2010

Author's Preface

What have historians traditionally thought was the purpose of Zheng He’s voyages?   What does Dreyer claim was the real purpose of Zheng He’s voyages?

Chapter One:
The Enigma of Zheng He

1. What does Dreyer say was the purpose of the Zheng He voyages and what authority was responsible for sending out the great fleets?

2. How have Chinese and Western historians interpreted the purpose and nature of Zheng He’s voyages? How does Dreyer differ from them?

 
Terms

• Ming
• Tributary system

Chapter Two:
Zheng He’s Early Life and His Patron, Emperor Yongle

1. What was Zheng He’s family background?   How did he become a eunuch and what was the place of eunuchs in the Chinese government?

2. How did the Ming dynasty come to power in China?

3. How did Yongle become emperor of China?

4. What were the policies of Yongle?

 
Terms

• Yuan
• Hongwu
• Red Turban movement

Chapter Three:
China and the Asian Maritime World
in the Time of Zheng He

1. What evidence does Dreyer present to support his arguments regarding the purpose and nature of Zheng He’s voyages?

2. Describe how ships sailed the Indian Ocean.

3. What was the nature of trade and politics in the Malay-Indonesian region in the early fifteenth century?

4. What was the impact of the visits of Zheng He’s fleets on the lands of the Indian Ocean?

 
Terms

• Joseph Needham
• Hongxi
• Xuande
• Monsoons

Chapter Four:
Sailing to India: Zheng He’s First, Second, and Third Voyages

1. What was the route of Zheng He’s first voyage? Describe its costs and accomplishments.

2. What was the route of Zheng He’s second voyage? What did it accomplish and how did it differ from his first voyage?

3. What was the route of Zheng He’s third voyage? What did it accomplish and how was it different or the same from the first and second voyages?

 
Terms

• Malacca
• Ceylon
• Calicut
• Chen Zuyi
• Tamerlane
• Tooth relic

Chapter Five:
Sailing to Africa: Zheng He’s Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Voyages

1. What circumstances and events were causing Yongle to lose interest in Zheng He’s voyages by the time of the fourth voyage in 1412?

2. What new places did Zheng He’s fourth voyage visit and what were its accomplishments?

3. What new places did Zheng He’s fifth voyage reach and how were the Chinese received by the local inhabitants? What did the fifth voyage accomplish?

4. What were the accomplishments of Zheng He’s sixth voyage? Why did the Yongle emperor suspend any more expeditions to the Indian Ocean by the great fleets?

 
Terms

• Hormuz
• Ma Huan
• Sekandar
• Aden
• Lasa
• Malindi
• Giraffes

Chapter Six:
The Ships and Men
of Zheng He’s Fleets

1. Describe Zheng He's “treasure ships.” How did their size and sailing qualities compare to Western sailing ships? What were the strengths and weaknesses of the treasure ships?

2. What were the number and costs of the treasure ships built by the Yongle Emperor?

3. How many ships did Zheng He have in his fleets and how many people manned those fleets? What were the duties of the various people sailing with Zheng He?

 
Terms

• Xiafan Guanjun
• Treasure Ships

Chapter Seven:
Zheng He’s Career after 1424
and his Final Voyage

1. What were the policies of the Hongxi Emperor and how did they affect Zheng He and his fleet?

2. What were Zheng He and his fleet doing between 1424 and 1430?

3. What are the historical significance(s) of Zheng He’s inscriptions at Liujiagang and Changle?

4. Describe Ma Huan’s visit to Mecca. How did he get there and what was his mission?

5. How did the speed of Zheng He’s ships compare to the speed of Western sailing vessels?

 
Terms

• Great Baoen Temple
• Tianfei

Chapter Eight:
The Legacy of Zheng He

1. How did Chinese maritime and naval policies change after the death of Zheng He in 1433? Why did the Ming government change its policies?

2. What was the nature of the relations between Confucian civil officials in the Chinese government and the eunuch officials working in the Chinese government? How did this relationship impact Zheng He’s voyages and his later reputation?

3. Describe the lost and destroyed materials and the various surviving Chinese documents through the eighteenth century that chronicled the voyages of Zheng He. What are the reliability of these sources?

4. How did Zheng He’s voyages and Ming China’s maritime policies compare with the theories of Alfred Mahan concerning the role of seapower in foreign policy and international relations?

 
Terms

• Alfred Thayer Mahan
• Gavin Menzies

Christopher Columbus and the Great Age of Discovery
HIST 351  ~  Fall 2010