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Zheng's Asia-Africa voyages six centuries ago
Six centuries ago, Chinese Ming
Dynasty navigator Zheng
He managed to lead a mighty armada of ships to venture across the South
China Sea and then turn west to Ceylon, Arabia, and East Africa.
The fleet consisted of giant nine-masted junks, by dozens of supply ships,
water tankers, transports for cavalry horses, and patrol boats. The armada's
crew totaled more than 27,000 sailors and guards.
Loaded with Chinese silk and porcelain, the junks visited ports around the
Indian Ocean. There, Arab and African merchants exchanged the Chinese silk and
porcelain
with their spices, ivory,medicines, rare woods, and pearls so eagerly sought
by the Chinese imperial court.
Seven times, from 1405 to 1433, the treasure fleets set off for the
Asia-Africa voyages. And all this took place half a century before the first
Europeans, rounding the tip of Africa in frail Portuguese caravels, had
discovered the Indian Ocean.
Miracle was made largely due to Zheng's wisdom and bravery as well as China's
advanced ship-building technique.
Among the fleet, there were great treasure ships over 300-feet long and
150-feet wide, the biggest being 440-feet long and 186-across, capable of
carrying 1,000 passengers. Most of the ships were built at the Dragon
Bay Shipyard near Nanjing
City, the remains of which can still be seen today.
Zheng He's first fleet had 27,870 men on 317 ships, including sailors,
clerks, interpreters, guards, artisans, doctors and meteorologists.
On board were large quantities of cargo including silk goods, porcelain, gold
and silverware, copper utensils, iron implements and cotton goods.
The fleet sailed along China's coast to Champa close to Vietnam and, after
crossing the South China Sea, visited Java, Sumatra and reached Sri Lanka by
passing through the Strait of Malacca. On the way back it sailed along the west
coast of India and returned homein 1407.
Envoys from Calicut in India and several countries in Asia and the Middle
East also boarded the ships to pay visits to China.
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Emissary