User:Cold Season/sandbox4

Ming treasure voyages sandbox

Levathes
Also check the notes at back of book!


 * 73: The Ming Tongjian (1873), an unofficial history by Xia Xie, posits that part of the reason was to seek traces of the Jianwen Emperor abroad.
 * 78-79: The treasure ships (boachuan) were a new creation of Longjiang shipwrights. They combined two ship designs, the shachuan and the fuchuan.
 * Describe shachuan (78); fuchuan (78-9)
 * 80: size of treasure ships
 * 81: "Most of the drydocks at Longjiang [...]"
 * Description of treasure ship
 * 82: ships rigging and grand appointments
 * Luo's novel - descriptions of ships in fleet (not reliable!)
 * 83: communication
 * 83-4: crew
 * 84: cargo
 * 85: corruption

Gallery
File:Treasure Boat Shipyard - stele pavilion - P1080099.JPG|Replicas of steles associated with Zheng He's voyages

File:Zheng He's tomb, Nanjing.jpg|Admiral Zheng He's empty tomb at Nanjing

File:Gall Trilingual Inscription.jpg|Galle Trilingual Inscription


 * http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Museum_at_the_Treasure_Boat_Shipyard

Dump
In Longjiang shipyard near Nanjing, a temple was constructed in honor of Tianfei. As did a temple in Liujiagang, which was referenced to in its inscription. In Changle, the "halls of the Buddha and temple of the gods" were repaired.

According to Zheng He's two inscriptions, Mogadishu presented zebras and lions as tribute to them during the fifth voyage. The inscriptions also noted that Brava presented camels and ostriches as tribute during the voyage. Brava sent a total of four tribute missions to China from 1416 to 1423.

Aden had send tribute giraffes on the fifth and sixth voyage, but the one of the fifth never arived in China. Mecca had also send them on the seventh voyage. The giraffes were not likely to be native to Aden or Mecca. Bengal also send a tribute giraffe, although it was said that it was a re-export from Malindi. There were various reports of giraffes being presented as tribute to Ming China, but Duyvendak believes that many so-called ambassadors were actually merchants who heard about the correlation that the Chinese placed between the giraffes' appearance and their imperial virtue that was transforming the world.

According to that account, the Xuande Emperor said that they don't have any desire for the presented goods from the distant regions, that they realize that the goods have been offered in full sincerity, that the goods should be accepted since the envoys have come from afar, and that the presentation of these goods is no cause for congratualations. Officials and courtiers gave congratulations in the form of flattery to the emperor, since they claimed that the emperor's virtuous rule brought another appearance of the qilin. Nevertheless, the Xuande Emperor he rejected the flattery. The emperor also had noted that the tribute missions had ceased after the sixth voyage. Dreyer (2007) states that the emperor understood that these tributary presentation were the natural result of the reappearance treasure fleet who overawed foreign countries into tributary submission by overwhelming militaristic naval force.

Around 1477, civil officials destroyed records about Zheng He's voyages to avoid the any subsequent attempts. This happened when a high-ranking eunuch had proposed to renew the voyages.

In 1417, the eunuch Zhang Qian had to battle a Japanese pirate fleet before he could return to China from a diplomatic mission to the countries around the Western Ocean. This event, as stated by J.P. Lo, gave an indication of how the crew had a high morale and militant spirit during the early 15th century.

J.V.G. Mills argued that Lasa was most-likely near Mukalla in Hadramaut on the Arabian Peninsula. However, J.J.L Duyvendak argues for most-probable location of Lasa in Oman. Dreyer (2007) supports the former as most-likely.

(Contradiction) However, during the turn of the 16th century, Minister of War Liu Daxia (1437–1516) ordered the charts to be burned. This coincided with the Ming court's attitude at the time about the outside world; the court had contempt for foreign countries and disinterest for trade or diplomacy far abroad. Nevertheless, the charts remained preserved and circulated amongst Chinese navigators.

It has been described that the treasure ships had 12 sails and 9 masts. At their fastest, the treasure ships whilst carrying 1000 tons could sail 215 km per day if they maintained a speed of 5.75 knots. However, the treasure fleet sailed about 165 km per day on average at speeds of 4.4 knots. Zheng He's biography in the Mingshi gave the dimensions of the treasure ships: the "large" treasure ships were 44 zhang in length and 18 zhang in beam; the "middle" or "next" treasure ship was 37 zhang in length and 15 zhang in beam. The modern-estimated dimensions of the treasure ships are 440 by 180 feet or 385 by 157.5 feet, based on a chi of 12 or 10.5 inches respectively. Physical evidence have not provided evidence that contradicts the upper value about the dimensions of a treasure ship. In 1962, a rudderpost (presumed from Zheng He’s ships) was excavated at the Longjiang shipyard in Nanjing. Its length indicated a rudder area of about 452 square feet. This translate to a ship of a theoretical length of 538 to 600 feet if compared to other Chinese ships and rudders depending on different assumptions of its draught. Furthermore, two 210-feet-wide drydocks were located in the Longjiang shipyard. This provides enough width to accommodate a treasure ship of 180 feet wide. Dreyer (2007) thinks that the draught of the treasure ships may have been up to about 25 feet, because these ships had sail with the depth of the Yangtze River from Nanjing.

(???) Considering the possible draught of 25 feet and an estimated chi of 12 or 10.5 inches respectively, Dreyer (2007) calculated that the largest treasure ships had 30938 tons displacement at 440 by 180 feet or 23687 tons displacement at 385 by 157.5 feet. He also calculated the second-largest treasure ships, namely 21680 tons displacement at 370 by 150 feet (est. chi=12 inches) or 16599 at 323.75 by 131.25 feet (est. chi=10.5 inches). He further adds that it's very-well possible that the ships could have a higher displacement.

"The knowledge acquired by Zheng He and his colleagues was suppressed so completely that even the accounts in the Veritable Records of Ming dynasty (Ming Shilu), and therefore those in Mingshi, are sometimes erroneous." (Ray 1987, 159, ref Wheatley 1961)

"He collected and brought back much useful information regarding the geography of Asia and the sea-routes, and also collected valuables and rarities like gems, minerals, drugs and plants, as well as obtained directly or indirectly animals like lions, leopards, horses, giraffes, oryx, zebras, camels, ostriches and nilgai, some of which had not previously been seen in China." (Ray 1987, 158)

"Garcia de Orta (1563) mentions a Chinese stone with an inscription as having been taken away by the Zomorin (Samuttiri) from Cochin. This stone tablet was obviously the one sent by Yong Le consecrating a mountain as ’the guardian mountain of the country’ and containing a long inscription with a poem appended at the end, supposed to have been composed by the emperor himself." (Ray 1987, 159)

"The ships in the Zheng He armada facilitated the transportation of giraffes and other exotic animals. These ships were not only able to accommodate large animals, but also sail the entire distance across the Indian Ocean. Earlier shipment of animals usually entailed changing vessels at transit locations and the use of distinct mercantile networks. Indeed, as Roderich Ptak (2011: 36) has pointed out, the movement of these animals required advances in shipping technologies, logistical preparations, well-trained veterinarians, as well as navigational and geographical knowledge. These advances seem to have all been achieved during the three decades of criss-crossing the Indian Ocean by the Zheng He-led ships." (Sen 2016, 630-631)

"According to Ma Huan who accompanied Zheng He’s expeditions as interpreter from 1413 onwards, the Chinese navy had already established cantonments in South-east Asia, one in Malacca, a port on the West Coast of the Malay peninsula with city walls, warehouses and granaries. It was also the rendezvous for ships sent on missions to various countries probably during their return voyages. They assembled there, loaded foreign goods and sailed on their homeward journey with the onset of the south-west monsoon during MaY-June, The Chinese had another garrison at Semudera on the northwest coast of Sumatra where the fleet was divided during the outward voyages, and detachments sent out to countries like Aden in the West and to Bengal in the north." (Ray. An Analysis. p 76)

"Another edict issued in the same connection in the name of Zheng He on 14 August 1431 sanctions 100,000 strings of paper money specially to Zheng He for his personal expenses as on previous occasions. It brings to light the fact that in addition to the discharge of his diplomatic duties Zheng He was also engaged in trade along with his other companions, and was thus performing the function of the big boss of China’s maritime trade. It can be assumed further that other officials were also engaged in trade bringing prosperity to the state as well as to the individuals." (Ray. An Analysis. p 82)

(dates contradicts with xia xiyang??) "It is not exactly clear when the ship or ships with the envoys on board departed from Calicut, but according to the Tarīḥ al-Yaman they arrived in Yemen on 8 March, 1432, and were received by the Sultan, who came especially from Ta’izz to Aden on March 22. It may well have been that, due to the disorder and attendant economic problems, during this visit in Aden only a few or no Chinese goods were unloaded, as al-Maqrīzī states. [...] We further know from al-Maqrīzī that the letter with which the sherif of Mecca asked his Mamlūk superiors in Cairo for permission to receive the Chinese envoys arrived there on June 22." (Jost p88)

treasure fleet
Types of ships (see Church

Jost for Arabic accounts

?
On 29 October 1407, the Yongle Emperor ordered rewards for the personnel who had fought at Palembang. On 13 September 1411, the emperor granted both rewards and promotion for the Sinhalese confrontation after the joint recommendation of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites. On 8 August 1419, the emperor ordered the Ministry of Rites to grant monetary rewards to the fleet's personnel, because it was considered appropriate to reward them for sailing long distances and traveling to many foreign countries over many years.