Rare Animals from Africa

During the 14th year of the Yongle reign period (1416 AD), not long after Zheng He returned from his fourth western voyage, Emperor Zhu Di decided to move his capital from Nanjing to Beijing. Following a personal tour of inspection to Beijing, the Emperor commenced construction of the new capital on a grand scale. In order to fully reflect his glory, Zhu Di directed that the magnificent new palaces be furnished with treasures of all sorts, and that the inner courtyards be stocked with rare and precious wildlife. As it happened, Zheng He had just returned from Africa with an emissary from the Kingdom of Malindi, who brought along a giraffe as a gift for the Ming emperor. The giraffe, thought to be the highly auspicious qilin of Chinese legend, was seen as a symbol of the Ming Dynasty's desire to forge lasting friendships with foreign lands, open to the outside world, and enjoy mutual peace and tranquility. During the 15th year of the Yongle reign period (1417 AD), while the new capital was still under construction, Zheng He received orders to undertake his fifth voyage. His mission was to engage in friendly diplomacy, while also apprising foreign countries of China's current requirement for rare and precious wildlife. Such extraordinary birds and animals, although great novelties in China, were actually quite common overseas. They were not exceedingly expensive, but by officering them as tribute to China, these countries could obtain lavish gifts in return and further strengthen their diplomatic ties with the Ming Dynasty.

The offerings of rare birds and animals by the countries of East Africa indicated that China had established full-scale diplomatic relations, based on the political and economic might of the Ming Dynasty. This diplomatic triumph was extolled in verse by the literati of the Ming court, as an expression of China's new friendship with the most distant countries of the world.