1, promoting the national prestige of the Ming Dynasty (for political purposes);

2. Expanding overseas trade (economic purpose);

3. It is also said that Ming Chengzu was looking for the emperor Wen Jian who might be exiled overseas.

The significance of Zheng He's voyage to the West;

1, which shows the prosperity of China's national strength in the early Ming Dynasty, and China's navy traveled across the West, paying tribute to various countries and pursuing the prosperous Han and Tang Dynasties;

2. Strengthened the contact between China Ming Dynasty government and overseas countries, and brought economic benefits to Southeast Asia and western countries;

This is the last grand event in the ancient history of China. Since then, there has been no Zheng He.

4. Because the political purpose of Zheng He's voyage to the West was greater than the economic purpose, all his expenses were supported by the powerful national strength of the Ming Dynasty and did not bring any economic benefits to China. Therefore, after the heyday of the Ming Dynasty, his voyage to the West stopped without strong economic strength to support this huge project.

Extended data:

Zheng He was a great navigator in China in the early Ming Dynasty. From the third year of Yongle in Ming Dynasty to the eighth year of Xuande (1405 to 1433), he led the world's largest fleet, overcame many difficulties, visited more than 30 countries and regions in Asia and Africa, and reached eastern Africa and the Red Sea coast as far as possible, half a year earlier than European navigators.

In view of the reason of Zheng He's voyage to the West, it is generally believed that Zheng He's voyage to the West is to find the trace of Wen Jian. His name is Zhu Yunwen, also known as Hui Di, and he is the grandson of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Emperor. At the beginning of his reign, Wen Jian was determined to cut off the vassals. 1June 399, Judy, the prince of Yan, became the teacher of Jingnan in the name of "the frontier of the Qing army" and openly rebelled against Wen Jian.

1402, Judy led the army to capture Nanjing. When Nanjing fell, "there was a fire in the palace, and the emperor (Wen Jian) didn't know what to do." Some people say that "Emperor Wen Jian became a monk". The Biography of Zheng He in the Ming Dynasty bluntly said: "Cheng Zu suspected that Hui Di died overseas and wanted to trace it."

Later, many people agreed with him. Xu Liqun wrote in the section "The Historical Story of China: Three Treasures Eunuchs' Sailing to the Western Seas": "The purpose of Yongle's sending Zheng He to the Western Seas is to find the Emperor Wen Jian. Because after Emperor Yongle usurped the throne of Wen Jian, Wen Jian disappeared. Yongle was afraid that he would flee abroad and come back for restoration in the future, so he sent someone to look for him. "

Others, such as Fan Wenlan's A Brief History of China and Wu Han's Foreign Policy, and Zheng He's voyage to the Western Ocean in the early Ming Dynasty, also believed that Zheng He's voyage to the Western Ocean was accompanied by the emperor's secret mission, that is, to find the whereabouts of the emperor.

Some scholars think that Zheng He's voyage to the West to find Wen Jian is far-fetched. His people were loyal and weak, and he was ousted from the throne by Judy. Even if he fled abroad, he would have no ability. Judy should also understand these situations, so he won't send someone to find out the whereabouts of Zhu Yunwen again and again.

In recent years, the angle of exploring the reasons for Zheng He's voyage to the West has changed. Some scholars believe that Zheng He's mission to the Western Seas varies with time. Zheng He's first task is to appease the neighboring small countries and reduce foreign intrusion into China. Later, it was mainly for trade, advancing into the unknown world and opening up new waterways.

Others believe that Zheng He's voyages to the West were for political purposes. Zhu holds this view in the article "An Analysis of Zheng He's Purpose of Going to the West" (Zheng He's Essays on Going to the West). First, he denied the theory of "showing off force in foreign countries". He said that Zheng He used force to subdue the foreign king twice overseas because he had to fight back in self-defense. The foreign policy pursued by Zheng He is based on "Huairou" and based on friendship and peace.

It is blind to say that Zheng He's voyage to the West is an economic factor. Looking at the relevant documents of the Ming Dynasty, I have never seen Zheng He stationed troops in foreign countries and plundered the economy. Zheng He sent many foreign businessmen back to China to do business, and Emperor Yongle ordered no taxation. He said, "Today, foreigners come from afar, infringe on their interests, gain a lot, but also suffer a lot of humiliation."

Zheng He's voyage to the West opened a closed and rigid diplomatic door. The Ming dynasty was just established, and small neighboring countries often came to pay tribute. Tribute at that time was essentially a kind of property exchange. Tribute was given by the Ming Dynasty, and gifts were often greater than tributes.

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Ming Taizu ordered that tribute be restricted from one to three years old, and some countries, such as Japan, restricted it to ten years, so the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and overseas countries was almost cut off, and the economy and trade almost stopped.

As a result, smuggling activities were rampant, armed smuggling became the norm, and the momentum of the Ming Dynasty gradually declined. Emperor Yongle decided to change this political situation after he came to power. Every time Zheng He was sent to the Western Seas, his first task was to award "Zheng Shuo" to restore and develop the diplomatic relations between the Ming government and overseas countries.

References:

Why did Zheng He go to the Western Seas repeatedly in China Network?