First, the background of Zheng He's voyage to the West
More than 600 years ago, on the stage of world development, the eastern countries, especially China, were still the center of the world, and they were regarded as great countries by other countries. During the Yongle period, the national strength of the Ming Dynasty was relatively strong and the politics was relatively clear. In order to restore the prosperity of previous countries coming to Korea, revitalize the national prestige, actively restore and develop diplomatic exchanges with overseas countries, and carry out diplomatic activities and trade activities on a large scale.
To analyze this topic, we must first know where Zheng He's "voyage to the West" refers to. According to the investigation, the Ming Dynasty divided the present Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, India Peninsula and other regions. The main activity place of Zheng He's voyage to the West is the Nanyang Islands today.
(A) Economic background
The so-called economic base determines the superstructure. As the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang was not born into a noble family, but a humble poor peasant. From his previous life experience, he knew the importance of "protecting the people and hiding wealth for the people" and understood that only when the people under his rule are rich can they be more stable. By summing up the lessons of the Yuan Dynasty's subjugation, he took some measures to recuperate. After more than 30 years of hard work, it has formed a prosperous situation of "not closing the outside and not picking up the remains inside". By the twenty years of Hongwu, the cultivated land area of the whole country had expanded five times compared with the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China. "Shi Yu is rich and full of envy, rice and millet have lost a million stones since the capital, and the granary in Fuxian County is full and red rot is inedible" [2], which simply means that there is too much food to eat and only mildew. Handicraft production, such as mining and metallurgy, textile and shipbuilding, has surpassed the highest level in the history of China. The steady development of agriculture and the active commercial trade have greatly increased the country's fiscal revenue, which is enough to pay for the huge expenses of sending envoys to the West. At this time, the Ming Dynasty was already one of the most powerful countries in the world.
In addition, in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhu Yuanzhang's work focused on domestic politics, and diplomacy focused on "defense". Although it was a necessity at that time, it has gone against the development of the times. China's international prestige has obviously declined, and the number of countries paying tribute to Beijing is decreasing every year. Many countries have not sent envoys to China for many years, and the situation that all countries come to South Korea no longer exists. What's more, there have been cases in which vassal states killed the envoys of the Ming Dynasty for no reason, which was intolerable by the rulers of the Ming Dynasty who had always taken China as their country. Moreover, with the recovery and development of production, people need a higher level of material and cultural needs and a broader world while meeting their own physiological needs. It is inevitable to point out overseas trade again, and overseas countries also hope to resume trade with China and develop their economy.
(2) Political background
Zheng He's political motives for going to the West have been varied since ancient times. In this regard, I will probably list two points. One is to find the missing emperor Wen Jian. After Judy led the army to capture Nanjing Imperial City, the whereabouts of Emperor Wen Jian were not found. Although some people say that Wen Jian was burned to death, Judy is still very afraid of this heir to the throne appointed by Zhu Yuanzhang. After all, he is the orthodox heir to the throne. Shen Defu once wrote in his notes: "The young emperor came from the tunnel and the trace was very dense. In the name of the old emperor sent Hu to see Zhang Sanfeng, he really suspected that he was hiding from other parties. Zheng He, the eunuch, was sent to travel around the world at sea, but in the end he could not influence other countries. Although Heaven has not finished, many people are wise on the whole ... "In the following years, Judy constantly heard that her rule was threatened in the southwest and even overseas, and decided to send Zheng He to the Western Ocean to find the trace of the emperor, so as to eliminate the threat to herself. Second, please the remnants of Zhang Shicheng overseas. Zhang Shicheng, like Zhu Yuanzhang, was an anti-Yuan rebel, but after Zhu Yuanzhang defeated the Zhang Shicheng Rebels, the remnants of Zhang Shicheng fled overseas. Judy was worried that these forces would expand overseas, so he sent such a huge fleet to the west. While enhancing national prestige, it can also suppress anti-Ming forces in one fell swoop.
Second, the preparations for Zheng He's voyage to the West
(1) marine survey
Detailed investigation before the action is one of the guarantees to ensure the success of the incident. According to Zheng He's research experts in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, Zheng He's seven voyages to the Western Ocean, such a huge fleet not only reached the expected destination every time, but also returned safely, indicating that they have mastered or possessed relatively advanced marine knowledge, which did not come out of thin air, but was obtained through careful marine investigation.
Zheng He and other navigators made a detailed ocean survey during their voyage, observed and recorded the climate, topography and water potential of some sea areas they passed, and made a map of mountains, rivers, shoals and mud reefs. They also made a lot of research on some special landforms such as "ancient stone land" and "mud land". Zheng He also collected a wide range of charts and navigation materials from various countries he visited, which made Zheng He's fleet have a more specific and detailed understanding of the mountains, canyons, land and sea distribution, hydrometeorology and environmental conditions experienced during the voyage, and provided scientific marine knowledge and experience for further navigation in the future.
The Book of the Sea records Zheng He's ocean exploration activities: "In the first year of Yongle, Zheng He, Li Xing, Min Yang and other officials were sent abroad to the East China Sea. After the imperial edict is opened, the following maps, canyons, sea areas and water potential will not be mistaken day and night. " This shows that Zheng He and others carried out research activities on sea conditions and marine environment in the vast sea area before their official voyage to the Western Ocean. Through this activity, they obtained a lot of first-hand information about the islands, mountains, canyons, water potential and land and water distribution characteristics of the East Atlantic, and compared and corrected them with various charts left over from the past.
"Farewell with the Wind" and other sea needle sutra records: "In the first year of Yongle, I was ordered to send an envoy to various countries in the western regions to repeatedly correct the needle track, the pattern of attracting stars, the sea area, the water potential and the mountain potential map. Be sure to choose someone who can master the depth of the needle, see the stars and mountains, and explore shallow water on the boat. It is necessary to be careful and push the details repeatedly and meticulously. Don't make a mistake. " The "guiding stars" mentioned in this paper is equivalent to today's astronomical navigation, while the sea needle is equivalent to today's compass navigation. Zheng He, who was used by Zheng He's fleet in the voyage, effectively combined the two in the voyage, navigating with a compass during the day and keeping the course of the fleet by observing the positions of the stars and compass at night. This was the most advanced navigation technology at that time.
Through the study of historical documents, it is found that Zheng He's outstanding achievements in his voyages to the West are mainly manifested in the following three aspects: 1. China can determine his position and the position of the fleet from the sun, the moon and the stars at an early age. At this time, Zheng He has been able to skillfully combine astronomical navigation with compass navigation to improve the accuracy of ship position and course, which is called "star pulling". This technology is the highest astronomical navigation technology of that era. 2. The geographical navigation technology of Zheng He's voyages to the West, which is a unique navigation technology created by Zheng He's fleet on the basis of the sum of previous technologies, namely "taking the route with the needle position" and "taking more than 60 miles to avoid shallow reefs" [3]. The one here refers to the mileage within 2.4 hours under standard sailing. The stitch here refers to the navigation route determined during sailing, which is mainly used when it exceeds the established navigation route. 3. The birth of Zheng He's nautical charts, although only used by Zheng He's fleet at that time, is a great embodiment of Zheng He's achievements in his seven voyages to the West, and is also of great significance to the world's maritime cause, and plays an important role in the future study of China's ancient maritime history.
(2) Mature technology
The scientific and technological achievements during Zheng He's period were mainly reflected in shipbuilding and navigation. As a country with a long coastline, China's shipbuilding and navigation have always been very developed, reaching a brand-new peak when Zheng He went to the Western Ocean in the Ming Dynasty. "The Biography of Zheng He in Ming Dynasty" records: "Treasure Ship No.63 is 44 feet long and 18 feet wide." The conversion unit is about138m for the captain and 56m for the width of the ship. In the early Ming Dynasty, shipbuilding was widely distributed. For example, in the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu, it was stipulated that the local government was responsible for sending special personnel to build ships. "If you build a new seagoing ship, you must measure the timber output and displacement and send someone to build it" [④]. There are government-run shipyards in all major ports or places where the navy is stationed, and the shipyards are all over the country: the Songhua River in the north, the coastal area of Guangdong in the south and the Yellow Sea in the east. Among its extensive regions, Jiangsu, Fujian, Huguang and other places are the most developed. There are still ponds and waterways in Xiaguan, Nanjing, such as the "Shangsiwu" and "Xiasiwu" of Longjiangbao Shipyard. According to the investigation, Longjiang Bao Shipyard was one of the large shipbuilding bases and berthing centers in Ming Dynasty. History has proved that "the scale of the flagship of Zheng He's fleet in Ming literature seems incredible at first glance, but it is not a strange story at all." According to statistics, during Zheng He's voyage to the West, there were nearly 4,000 large and small ships in China. During the Yongle period, there were 3,800 Ming navy ships, and there were 400 large capital ships in Nanjing Xinjiangkou alone. It can be seen that the advanced shipbuilding technology at that time was self-evident. So Joseph Needham sighed: "At the peak of the Ming Dynasty, its navy probably surpassed that of Asian countries at any time in history. Even more than any European country in the same era, even more than the sum of all European navies. " Terada Takashi also praised China's traditional shipbuilding technology in his book. He wrote: "The quality of shipbuilding technology is a reflection of a country's production technology level. As mentioned earlier, China built incredibly huge ships with superb traditional shipbuilding technology at the beginning of the15th century, and sent them to the sea one after another. "
III. Overview of Zheng He's fleet
Zheng He's voyages to the West formed the largest ocean-going fleet in the world. Every time Zheng He set sail, his fleet was more than 100, including 62 large and medium-sized treasure ships and other types of ships. Zheng He's fleet is actually a mixed fleet, including treasure ships, ships, horse ships, grain ships and ships. The largest of these ships is 44 feet long and 18 feet wide; The smallest is 18 feet. It was converted into the largest treasure ship today, with a length of about136.8m, a width of 53.94m, a depth of12m, a waterline of 8m, a bulwark height of1.5m and a load of 7,000 tons. The ship has nine masts and four decks. Such a huge ship was unimaginable to many people at that time.
On such a huge fleet, there must be a huge team and a complete mechanism to regulate navigation. In June of the third year of Yongle (1405), He Ming and Wang Jinghong went to the Western Ocean, and more than 27,800 people marched across various countries. " This is the record of Zheng He's voyage to the West in the history of Ming Dynasty. In various other historical materials, such as Zheng He's Genealogy, Garden Miscellaneous Notes, Notes on the Past, and Examination of the Four Foreigners in the Ming Empire, it is clearly pointed out that Zheng He has made more than 27,000 voyages to the West. The personnel are roughly divided into "official school, flag soldier, rotor, helmsman, class helmsman, general worker, office worker, book operator, doctor, ironworker and other craftsmen, sailors, Ming and so on, * * * 27,550." There are similar records in other documents: "There are 27,670 western official school officials, 868 officials, 26,800 military attaché s, 93 generals, flag soldiers, samurai, Mai, Shao Min, comprador and calligrapher, all of whom command 2,000 households, with officials 140 and doctors 103 households. [5] As can be seen from the above materials, Zheng He's fleet division of labor is clear and precise. For example, Yin and Yang officials in charge of astronomical and meteorological monitoring, medical officials in charge of medical and health care, helmsman in charge of manufacturing, and fire chief. Therefore, in modern times, the positions of the General Staff can be divided into: leading members: eunuchs who are making eunuchs, and eunuchs who are assisting them; Officers: all in command; Foreign trade personnel: practitioners, clerks, comprador, bookkeepers, etc. Technicians: fire chief, helmsman, yin and yang division; Translation and general affairs; Medical officers and doctors; Craftsman; There are sailors and civilians. Wait a minute. Grassroots personnel.
Fourthly, the influence of Zheng He's voyage to the West.
Since ancient times, the people of China have loved peace. We can see China's ideological system, from "benevolence" advocated by Confucianism to "universal love" and "non-attack" of Mohism, and then to "inaction" of Taoism. Peace has become the mainstream thought of China. Since ancient times, rulers have advocated the concept of "destiny governs all things" and pursued a peaceful and friendly policy of "harmony is summer, security is foreign, and peace is no difference".
(1) Peacekeeping operations
In the early Ming Dynasty, there were many countries in Southeast Asia, and the contradictions between countries became increasingly prominent. The power of the country has ups and downs, and it competes with each other from time to time, resulting in constant war. With the growing strength of Siam and Java, they are expanding outward and oppressing their neighbors. In Indochina, Annan and Zhancheng are more bitter. The friction between the two countries sometimes affects the political situation of the whole Indo-China Peninsula. Even as mentioned above, in Sanfoqi, the envoys of the Ming Dynasty were killed and the envoys of other countries who paid tribute to China were intercepted. Then pirates are rampant, wandering at sea, often robbing merchant ships, and the maritime traffic lines are seriously disrupted. One Pirate Chen Zuyi, for example, was the strongest pirate at that time. At its peak, there were more than 10,000 members and nearly 100 warships. Chen Zuyi is "very arrogant. Whenever a passenger ship passes by, it will plunder property." [6] He not only plundered the passing business travelers, but also robbed the diplomatic envoys of western countries in China, which not only affected the normal exchanges between the Ming Dynasty and the region, but also damaged the international prestige of the Ming Dynasty. In order to eliminate the unstable factors, Cheng Zu adopted the method of catching the net simultaneously to improve the unstable situation of the waterway. In A.D. 1407, the court decided to summon Chen Zuyi to the DPRK. Chen Zuyi pretended to yield, but secretly prepared to rob Zheng He's fleet. He said to his men: "Although there were many fleets in the Ming Dynasty, the leaders went to sea for the first time, and the troops were not good at naval battles; Their ship is big, but it moves slowly. Although the imperial navy is powerful, it has not participated in the war for many years and is the main force of infantry. "This conspiracy was told by a man named Shi Jinqing to Zheng He. Later, Zheng He made preparations in advance. When Chen Zuyi came to sneak attack, he led the troops to burn the pirate ship, wiped out more than 5,000 pirates and brought Chen Zuyi back to Beijing alive. Chen Zuyi was beheaded by the Ming court. Ming ting's move can be described as three things at one stroke: first, it has cracked down on overseas pirate forces and shocked other organizations that are eager to move; Secondly, it ensures the safety of southeast Asian waterway; Finally, this move won prestige in western countries, and the international prestige of the Ming Dynasty was restored.
(2) Give a tree monument
In Southeast Asia and South Asia, most countries believe in Islam and Buddhism. At the beginning of the article, Zheng He was born in a Hui family who believed in Islam for generations. Both his father and ancestors went to pilgrimage to mecca and were honored as "Haji". Only those who successfully completed the Hajj ceremony can get this honor. According to historical records, Zheng He is a Muslim, but he also believes in Buddhism. Educated by Taoist monks, Yongle converted to Buddhism in the first year and was named "Fushan" by the "Bodhisattva Ring". Zheng He's dual identity is conducive to properly handling the complex religious issues in this region and better communicating with other countries. And Zheng He's fleet also includes a group of Muslims such as Ma Huan, Guo Chongli, Fei Xin, Hassan and Pu Rihe. Zheng He erected monuments in many countries and regions to show his respect. For example, Zheng He's charity activities in the Buddhist temple in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) are unprecedented. It is precisely because the Ming government carried out Zheng He's foreign policy of peace that it was praised by overseas countries, so some countries that had cut off contacts with the Ming court for many years or even never sent envoys to China to establish diplomatic relations with the Ming court to show their admiration. According to statistics, during the reign of Emperor Chengzu of Ming Dynasty, envoys from Asian and African countries visited China ***3 18 times. Today, nine kings from Brunei, Malacca, Sulu and the Philippines personally led a delegation to visit China for 8 times, and at most 18 countries paid tribute to China at the same time. Even three kings died during their visit to China, but they explicitly asked to be buried in China. In the Ming Dynasty, they were all buried after the royal ceremony. The tomb left in China witnessed the peaceful and friendly relations between China and Southeast Asian countries.
Zheng He's voyage to the West once set off a "cultural craze" in China. Zhou, president of the Thailand Research Association, said that temples and other buildings in Thailand and Malacca were built during Zheng He's voyage to the West. Malacca has Sambo Temple, Sambo Pavilion and Lihangbaojing. Java Island has Sambo Port, Sambo Temple and Sambo Cave. Zheng He's voyages to the West spread China's advanced and excellent culture to western countries, such as silk porcelain culture, clothing culture, food culture and currency culture, which caused western countries to learn from each other. Compared with the destructive and colonial new voyage in western Europe, which plundered countless local residents' lives with guns and bacteria for the purpose of plundering precious metals, land and colonial rule, Zheng He's seven voyages to the West brought political stability, economic prosperity and social progress to Southeast Asian countries. In this regard, the local people built temples and monuments for Zheng He, and the incense continued from generation to generation. Compared with Columbus who discovered the New World, the United Nations decided in 1992 to make Columbus' discovery of the New World one of the global festivals, but it was opposed by the Latin American people.
(3) Reflection on the results
Why did Zheng He's fleet disappear at sea after seven voyages to the West? The objective reason is that with the development of European politics and economy, their eyes began to face the world, colonizing in eastern countries, plundering resources and blocking traffic, which seriously hindered the exchanges between China and Southeast Asian countries and even further regions. Subjectively speaking, it can be divided into several aspects: 1. Opposition from the ruling class: After Ming Taizu's death, Zhu Gaochi succeeded to the throne, which was called Renzong in history. As soon as he ascended the throne, he ordered "going to the Western Heaven to get the treasure ship", a short-lived emperor. After his death, he passed the throne to Xuanzong, who was only nine years old. At this time, the emperor was still very naive and not very sensible, so the court was in charge of Renzong's filial piety queen Zhang, and the court was in charge. Three old people and an old woman have mastered the power of the country. When they were young, they didn't have the courage and foresight, and they didn't approve of the imperial court spending huge sums of money to reward the envoys who went to China. 2. Economic difficulties: In the first ten years of Zheng He's voyage to the West, he extracted about six million and two thousand pieces of silver from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which did not include the rewards given to foreign ministers or envoys in China. In the mid-Ming Dynasty, the financial expenditure was only about three million and two thousand yuan, and Xia Yuanji, a senior minister of the Ministry of Housing, wrote many times against going to the Western Seas. Although the Ming government vigorously developed economy and agriculture, it also achieved good results. However, in the late Yongle period, the financial burden of the state treasury increased due to the successive conquest of Annan, Mobei, the construction of Beijing and the voyage to the West. 3. Other factors: After Zheng He's death, if the imperial court needs to go to the Western Ocean again, it must send people who think they have the ability to organize such a huge fleet. As far as economy and trade are concerned, it is impossible for us to exchange silk, iron and porcelain for spices, jewels and rare animals for breeding. So in order to save national expenses, sailboats will also be closed ~