Is it possible for China to discover America and conduct large-scale navigation activities in the Ming Dynasty?

It is entirely possible to discover America, but it is impossible to sail on a large scale. With the navigation technology of China at that time, it was possible to sail along the coastal island chain. Even if the Pacific Ocean is too empty and there is no reference object, it can completely reach America along the continental shelf.

If China's maritime trade is as developed as the Southern Song Dynasty, businessmen will find America sooner or later, and much earlier than Europe.

The problem is that China's national policy and political environment do not allow this to happen. Rulers and nobles were very afraid of the rise of the merchant class. High-level officials in China all know that maritime trade has great benefits, but the practice of those in power is to ostensibly ban the maritime ban and privately buy the profits of pirates monopolizing maritime trade, thus suppressing the rise of the merchant class. Secondly, the money goes into their own pockets, killing two birds with one stone.

Therefore, people who live by the sea cannot operate normally. Maritime trade is monopolized by the Middle East and Europeans. In China, only when goods enter or leave the country will the government go to the oil and water. People in the southeast coast can't live any longer, and more and more people have become pirates. This is the origin of the enemy.

As for sailing without relying on commercial routes, if the government only sets up a fleet, it will be even more impossible to discover America, like Zheng He's voyage to the West, because Zheng He's purpose of going abroad is not to explore at all, but to convey national prestige, which is a diplomatic act. He went to a known place, and even if he happened to discover America, he wouldn't attract anyone's attention, let alone immigrate like a European. Later, the Ming government found that there was no strong enemy at sea, and even the fleet was dissolved. After all, China is a mainland country, its main enemy is a land power, and the navy burns more money than the army. No purpose, no navy.