Why did Zheng He go to the West?

There are different opinions about the reasons why Zheng He went to the West. One talked about advocating the Great Ming Dynasty and Wade, and the other talked about looking for the Emperor Wen Jian. The Biography of Zheng He in the Ming Dynasty also provided these two viewpoints, namely, "Cheng Zu suspected that Hui Di had died overseas and wanted to find traces" and "wanted to show off his strength and prosperity in foreign countries". ?

In addition, it is said that Timur Empire was outflanked, the old headquarters of Zhang Shicheng was swept away, the problem of army demobilization was solved, overseas tributes were obtained, trade was developed, financial expenditure was alleviated, the possibility of reaching Mecca by sea was explored, and Buddha's teeth were welcomed.

Zheng He's voyage to the West was a voyage during Yongle and Xuande of Ming Dynasty. The maiden voyage began in the third year of Yongle (1405), and the final voyage ended in the eighth year of Xuande (1433), counting seven times. Zheng He was appointed as an envoy, and the fleet sailed to the west of Borneo (the so-called "Western Ocean" in the Ming Dynasty), hence the name.

On the seventh voyage to the West, Zheng He, the eunuch of Sambo, led the fleet from Nanjing, assembled at Liujiagang, Taicang, Jiangsu, and moored at Taiping Port, Changle, Fujian, waiting for Kaiyang? [2-3], I visited more than 30 countries and regions in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean, including Java, Sumatra, Sulu, Pahang, Zhenla, Guri, Siam, Bangla, Adan, Tian Fang, Zoufal, Hulumusi, Mugushu and other places, and it is known that I have reached East Africa and the Red Sea as far as possible.

Zheng He's voyage to the Western Ocean was the largest and longest voyage in ancient China, with the largest number of ships and sailors. It is also the largest series of maritime expeditions in the world history before the voyage of the great discovery of European geography at the end of 15. However, there are still disputes about the historical facts such as the purpose and scope of Zheng He's fleet's voyage and the evaluation of seven voyages to the West.

Extended data:

political background

Before Zheng He's voyage to the West, the Ming Dynasty was a country with absolute monarchy and centralization. Under the strong rule of Ming Chengzu, its internal situation was relatively stable and its domestic politics was relatively clear.

In terms of external political situation, after many blows during the Hongwu period, the Mongolian army has basically withdrawn from Monan, and the threat to the Ming border has been greatly reduced. In addition, in the early days of Zheng He's voyage to the West, Ming Chengzu launched an expedition to Annan and brought it into the territory of the Ming Dynasty. After the "Annam County", the Ming Dynasty was able to occupy the city by land, but it was far from controlling Manchuria, which provided strong support for Zheng He's subsequent voyage to the West and enabled the Western tributary system to be successfully established and consolidated. ?

Economic background

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, due to the efforts of Zhu Yuanzhang for thirty-one years, the agricultural economy recovered. Handicraft industry has also developed greatly: mining and metallurgy, textiles, ceramics, paper making and printing have all been improved to varying degrees than before. The recovery and development of industry and commerce in the early Ming Dynasty, the development of China's overseas trade since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and the increase of foreign immigrants all prepared a solid economic foundation and material conditions for Zheng He's voyage to the West.

When Ming Chengzu won the throne, the Ming Dynasty had been established for more than 30 years, and agriculture and people's lives were not affected by this coup. At this time, coastal metropolises such as China and Guangzhou developed very prosperously. After good economic development, it is very urgent to develop overseas transportation and overseas trade. China's silk and porcelain are welcomed by western countries and have won a high reputation. China also has a great demand for spices and other things that cannot be produced by itself. ?

Scientific and technological conditions

The development of shipbuilding industry, the use of compass, the accumulation of navigation experience, the training of a large number of sailors and the increase of navigation knowledge (1389 Ming Taizu's Mixed Map of Daming is an example) provided the necessary conditions for Zheng He's voyage to the West.

References:

Baidu Encyclopedia-Zheng He's Journey to the West