Do Now: How might Confucianism have affected the way the Chinese viewed themselves and the rest of the world?

From: China from Exploration to Isolation

Who was Zheng He? Why is he significant? Why did China abandon it’s voyages of discovery in 1433? How did China view itself and the rest of the world?

The Admiral Of the Western Seas (Zheng He)

Zheng He (Jung-huh) Zheng He (Jung-huh) Made 7 voyages from , under the rule of third Ming Emperor, Yongle. This was a half a century before the first Europeans reached the Indian Ocean. China’s Age of Exploration Why were the voyages made? To establish the greatness of China throughout the area. NOT for conquest! Not a single colony or fortress was established.

Zheng He’s ships as depicted in a Chinese woodblock print. Zheng He’s fleet included 28,000 sailors on upwards of 1,000 ships of various sizes. The longest was 440 feet long and 180 feet wide. Columbus, in 1492, had only 90 sailors on 3 ships, the biggest was 85 feet long.

Zheng He sailed his fleet to nearly every inhabited land along the China Sea and bordering the Indian Ocean traveling ever farther west. He sailed throughout Indonesia, both coasts of India, many of the Persian Gulf sultanates, the kingdoms along the Red Sea and much of the eastern coast of Africa.

Wherever Zheng He went, he presented gifts to the ruler of the land and studied the customs of the strangers. Altogether Zheng He had visited 30 nations and traveled more than 35,000 miles. As a result of the voyages, over 19 countries sent tribute or gifts to the Ming Emperor. Zheng He returned with pearls, precious stones, ivory, and even animals! He brought back a giraffe, lion, and ostrich. The Chinese saw little value in foreign products, many of the tribute items came in the form of exotic animals.

Zheng He’s mission: “To flaunt the might of Chinese power and collect tribute from the ‘barbarians from beyond the seas.’” What does this reveal about China’s world view?

China’s world view was ethnocentric. How might China’s worldview have affected its approach to exploration ? Chinese called China the “Middle Kingdom.” China’s culture was developed in isolation and China viewed itself as the center of the universe. Ethnocentric= the belief that one’s own culture or way of life is superior to that of others.

Why would China abruptly end these voyages of discovery? In 1433, after the death of Ming Emperor Yongle the voyages ended.

Why Did China Decide to Stop Exploration? Many Chinese looked down their noses at business and trade. Confucists believed it was wrong to make long voyages because it was neglectful of families. Chinese had a tendency to look inward and a culture of complacency. The voyages were expensive and many in the kingdom did not see the value of contact with “barbarian nations.” Death of the emperor most interested in the voyages.

This was a turning point in Chinese history. The Chinese turned inward and isolated themselves rather than continue to explore the outside world. How might history have been different if the Chinese continued their exploration? How would history have changed had the Chinese reached America before the Europeans?

The Chinese view of themselves as the Middle Kingdom, and the center of the Asian world, provided the framework for their relations with non-Chinese people.