Zheng He: The forgotten

voyager [ hindu , culture ]

If you thought China today was a symbol of naval
aggression, a quick rewind to the Ming era to the time
of Admiral Zheng He would put things more in
perspective

A king-size statue of Zheng He at the Sam Poo Kong Temple in Semarang,

Central Java in Indonesia. ~Photo: Alex Santosa (Fickr)/ Wikimedia Commons

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Imagine yourself in the year 1405, looking out into the vast
Indian Ocean. Suddenly, a massive shadow appears on the
horizon. National Geographic describes this approaching shadow
thus:
As the shadow rises, it breaks into a cloud of tautly ribbed
sail, aflame in the tropical sun. With relentless determination,
the cloud draws ever closer, and in its fiery embrace an enormous
city appears. A floating city, like nothing the world has ever
seen before Stretched across miles of the Indian Ocean in
terrifying majesty is the armada of Zheng He, admiral of the
imperial Ming navy.
Chinas Great Armada, National Geographic, June, 2005

Early 17th-century Chinese

woodblock print, thought to
represent Zheng Hes ships.
~Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The armada consisted of 317 ships carrying about 28,000 men. About
60 of these ships were enormous treasure ships. These huge
vessels were over 400 hundred feet long, 160 feet wide, with
several stories, nine masts, twelve sails, four decks and
luxurious staterooms with balconies. To put it in perspective, all
the ships of Columbus and Vasco da Gama combined could have been
stored on a single deck of a single vessel. They could carry 2,500
tons of cargo each and were armed with dozens of small cannons.
They were accompanied by hundreds of smaller ships filled with
water, supplies (they grew sprouts in tubs to ward off vitamin
deficiency), troops, ammunition, horses and impressive gifts of
silks, brocades, porcelains, tea, ironworks etc., for leaders of
countries to be visited.
Seven such voyages were made under Zheng He between the years
1405-33. Sanctioned by the Yongle Emperor, their objective was to
spread Ming influence over the known world and to establish the
tribute system popular with the Middle Kingdom. The aspiration
wasnt far-fetched. China was the foremost economy of that time,
and had been for centuries. Their navy was the most advanced, at
its height having 3,500 ships (again, to put it into perspective,
the United States has about 400 ships today, and India less than
200). Their advances in navigation, naval architecture, and
propulsion made wind-efficient and safe vessels, innovations that
werent introduced in Europe until 1,000 years later!

Such was the standing of the Ming Emperor that at the inauguration
of the Forbidden City in 1421 foreign dignitaries were brought
from various countries in these fleets and duly escorted home
afterwards. Apparently, no European leaders were present. They
were considered too insignificant to be invited. Such is the
whimsy of time.
The Middle Kingdoms fleet travelled to thousands of kingdoms
spanning South Asia, India (Calicut and Kochi), Middle East and
Africa. While Zheng He preferred diplomacy on these trips, he did
not shy away from showing Chinese military might, cowing kingdoms
with small militaries and pirates with big reputations alike.

Yet, there is more. For some believe that Zheng Hes fleet was the
first to circumnavigate the world, discovering the Americas,
Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and the South Pole along the
way. Decades before Columbus, Magellan and Tasman.
I first stumbled on this theory during my first years in China
more than a decade ago. HK airport (with its bookstore) turned out
to be my doorway into China, both literally and metaphorically
for there, in front of my eyes, sat the book 1421: The Year China
Discovered The World, just waiting to be picked up.
Its author, Gavin Menzies, a retired British Naval officer, claims
that the first European explorers, when they set sail on their
explorations, already had in their possession old Chinese world-
maps from during Zheng Hes sixth expedition. As evidence, he
refers to:

Wreckages of large mahogany ships in south-west Australia. Europeans

didnt build mahogany ships.
Copies of old maps. Nicola de Conti, a merchant is said to have
travelled with the fleet and got a copy of the map. The details on
these maps include descriptions of the native people in these lands
black-red skin and feathers around the head and waists of Native
Americans. Australians, on the other hand, are black skinned, naked
and wearing bone articles around their waists.
Star charts, adjusted for changes in 600 years.
Chinese and European historical records dating back to 1418.
Carved stones erected along the way. 7 stones with text in Tamil,
Farsi, Arabic, Chinese and medieval Malayalam (language of Calicut,
 a key stop in the journey) have been found.
Lifestyle markers, such as the first European explorers discovery
of Asiatic hens in Patagonia. These birds cannot fly and are unique
to south-east Asia. At the same time, maize, unique to the Americas
was found in China. Maize can only be propagated by man.
Legends such as the Aboriginal one that talks of yellow people
settling amongst them.

The theory is contested by some historians, although so far no one

has blamed the Made in China maps for Columbus losing his way.
China was, after all, the global super power of that time, known
for its most advanced naval technology and astronomy.
Tracing his lineage to the Mongols and a Central Asian king, Zheng
He (He was called Ma He then. Ma is the Chinese abbreviation for
Muhammad) hailed from the Hui Muslim minority nationality in
Chinas Yunnan province. His father and grandfather were both
Hajjis. When he was 10 years old, the Ming army prevailed upon the
Mongols ruling that area. Zheng He was castrated as per custom and
served the Prince of Yan thenceforth. Well-educated and possessing
a commanding presence, he quickly rose through the ranks, winning
many battles for the prince who later became the Yongle Emperor,
and was suitably rewarded by him. Zheng He was over 6 feet tall
and well built. Not your typical stereotype of a eunuch.

Zheng Hes tomb in Nanjing. The

tomb is said to be empty as he was
buried at sea. ~Photo: Wikimedia
Commons

In 1403, the emperor appointed him commander of his fleet of

ships, giving him the authority to act as his official envoy in
the voyages that started two years later. His rise is remarkable
for both the fact that he was not from the majority Han Chinese
community and for being a eunuch, who were a mistrusted lot.
Zheng He is said to have died on his last voyage in 1433, near
Calicut in India. The voyages too were brought to an end with the
death of the Yongle Emperor. He is remembered not only in China
but in Southeast Asia such as in Thailand, where three temples are
said to be dedicated to him.

Twelve years since my introduction to Zheng He, we were

reacquainted recently, on a visit to a temple built by him in my
current town, Shenzhen, in southern China. First built in 1410, it
has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, the last in the
1990s by the municipal government of Shenzhen.
It is said that as the fleet set forth in 1405, they were hit by a
severe storm in this region. Fearing for the success and safety of
his fleet, Zheng He prayed to Goddess Tian Hou (or Mazu as she is
called in the South). Goddess Tian Hou protects sailors and
fishermen and has a following across Southeast Asia. The fleet was
saved and he promised to build a temple for her.
Goddess Tian Hou also appeared to the Emperor, said she had saved
the fleet and instructed that a temple be built in her honour.
Perhaps its a testimony to the inclusiveness of Zheng Hes heart
that the temple is a combination of Chinese folk religion, Taoism
and Buddhism. Although Tian Hou is a Taoist goddess, there is an
altar to the Buddhist Goddess Guan Yin. At its largest, it
consisted of 120 buildings bordering the sea. Now its a small
complex, a stones throw away from modern docks and high-rise
buildings.

The Tianhou Temple in Shenzhen. ~Photo: Lom Harshni Chauhan

As I walked around the complex, I remembered Zheng He afresh. What

does it take for a little boy with everything stacked against him
to rise so high? I tried to imagine the line-upon-line of ships as
they entered the waters of smaller kingdoms. What does it take for
a country to rise to such heights?
The voyages were called off by the anti-expansionist faction after
the Yongle emperors death. Slowly, the naval advances were
forgotten too. Far from the large treasure ships with nine masts,
by the Centurys end, ships could not be built with more than two
masts. In 1525 the government ordered the destruction of all
oceangoing ships and Chinas foreign policy took an inward turn
that lasted centuries.
As China and India again try to regain their lost positions as
global powers, I also wondered what course world history might
have taken had the Chinese fleets not been recalled. If, instead,
colonies had been established in the Americas and Australia. Like
the old maps found by Gavin Menzies, would our school maps teach
us about The Dragons Tail instead of the Strait of Megallan?
And, would you be reading this article in Chinese instead?

Source: xaam.in