Transcript Zheng He and the Treasure Fleets

Zheng He and the Treasure
Fleets
Mr. Ornstein
Willow Canyon AP History
Ming Dynasty
 1368-1644
 Defeat
Mongols/Yuan
Dynasty
Emperor Zhu Di/Yongle
1360-1424
 3rd Ming Emperor
 Overthrows Nephew
 Responsible for:
-Rebuilding Great Wall
-Fixing Grand Canal
-Building Forbidden City
in Beijing
-Zheng He’s Treasure
Fleets

Answer:
 What
does this
picture suggest
about Trade
during the Ming
Dynasty?
Zheng He




1371-1433
Chinese “Christopher
Columbus”
Admiral of Ming
Dynasty Treasure
Fleets
Sailed Around India
Ocean Throughout
Asia and East Coast of
Africa
Indian Ocean Trade
 The
Treasure fleet
of the Ming was
part of the larger
Indian Ocean
trade which
included:
 East Africa, India,
and Arabia
Original Purpose of Treasure
Fleets
 Zhu
Di is afraid his nephew is in
hiding plotting revenge.
 To collect tribute from foreign
nations to China and transport
diplomats to and from China.
Technology and the Treasure
Fleets compared to Europe





Ships were bigger and
stronger.
Better knowledge of
monsoon and other
weather patterns
Use of Compass
Better knowledge of
astronomy
Use of Advanced Arab
Navigation Skills
Some Say
 Zheng
He
Circumnavigated
the Globe before
Magellen.
 The Chinese
Reached the
Americas and
Australia before
the Europeans
The Ming Move to Isolation
 At
the height of the Treasure Fleets
power the Ming Dynasty had the fleet
destroyed and most of its records
burned.
 The Ming Dynasty moved towards a
strong policy of isolation.
Answer???
 How
might world history have been
different if Zheng He and the
Chinese did reach the Americas
before the Europeans?
 How might history have been
different if the Chinese did not
destroy their fleet?
Theories of Why China Destroyed
Their Treasure Fleets
Zheng He Died.
 Zhu Di died and
successors were not
interested in
continuing voyages.
 Fire in Forbidden
City and its relation
to the Mandate of
Heaven.





Expensive.
High Loss of Life.
Confucian Advisors
were strongly against.
China needed to use
resourced to stop
rebellion in Vietnam.