The Seven Voyages of Zheng He - Summary on a map
The Seven Voyages of Zheng He - Summary on a map
Let’s retrace the life of Zheng He, and the seven seafaring journeys he undertook for the Ming Empire. From 1371 until 1433.
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English translation \u0026 voiceover: Matthew Bates https://www.epicvoiceover.com/
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Original French version: • Les sept voyages de Zheng He - Résumé…
Russian version: • Семь путешествий Чжэн Хэ - на карте
Arabic version: Coming soon
Spanish version: • Zheng He - Historia de sus siete expe…
Portuguese version (Brazil): Coming soon
Japanese version: • 鄭和の7度の大航海
German version: Coming soon
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Music: Made for Geo History
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Software: Adobe After Effects
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Chapters
00:00 Childhood
01:28 In the service of the Emperor Yongle
02:37 The First Voyage
04:07 The Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Voyages
06:29 Troubles in the Ming Empire
07:28 Seventh and last Voyage
07:50 After his death
#geohistory #zhenghe #china #explorer #history
Content
0.979 -> In 1368, in China, the Mongolian dynasty of Yuan is overthrown by the Ming dynasty of the Hongwu Emperor.
9.33 -> But some regions resist the new power.
12.07 -> This is notably the case in Yunnan, where
Ma Sanbao is born around 1371.
17.46 -> He would later be known as Zheng He.
21.099 -> He is from a rich noble Muslim family, his father is a respected general who made the pilgrimage to Mecca.
28.149 -> In 1381, a Ming army enters Yunnan to subdue
the last rebel pockets.
34.76 -> Ma Sanbao is captured, and his father is killed
in battle.
39.23 -> At the age of 13, Ma Sanbao becomes a eunuch.
42.92 -> That is to say, he is castrated to ensure
that he will never be able to found his own dynasty.
49.51 -> He is then sent to the court of Zhu Di, the 4th son of the emperor, who is also the Prince of Yan in the North.
56.94 -> Ma Sanbao is quickly recognized for his diplomatic
and strategic skills,
62.169 -> which allow him to rise in rank, until he becomes a recognized military commander at the age of 20.
69.61 -> In 1398, Emperor Hongwu dies.
73.22 -> His eldest son having already died, his grandson
Jianwen takes the throne.
78.84 -> But a civil war quickly breaks out between
Jianwen and Zhu Di.
83.42 -> The latter wins, and becomes the new Emperor
under the name of Yongle.
88.21 -> Ma Sanbao, having played a decisive role in
the victory,
91.852 -> is promoted to the most important position in the court by becoming Great Eunuch, and is renamed Zheng He.
99.85 -> Yongle establishes his power and moves the
capital to Beijing,
104.35 -> where he orders the construction of a huge palace, which will become known as the Forbidden City.
110.88 -> Moreover, he gathers more than 2000 scholars
of all kinds to start writing the Yongle Encyclopedia,
118.31 -> which would be the largest in the world for
6 centuries.
122.08 -> Finally, to make his empire shine,
124.407 -> he decides to organize a maritime expedition to the Western Ocean in order to establish diplomatic relations.
131.95 -> Zheng He is appointed to organize and lead
this expedition.
136.989 -> He supervises the construction of a huge fleet
of about 250 ships.
142.129 -> They are mainly large junks, but also about
sixty treasure ships,
147.123 -> that is to say, ships of an unequaled size at the time, sometimes having up to 9 masts.
153.959 -> The ships are loaded with food, live animals,
and drinking water.
158.459 -> On July 11, 1405, the fleet leaves with 27,800
men, mainly military.
166.409 -> The expedition follows the already known trade
routes, going to meet people who are still unknown in China.
173.29 -> Zheng He has to greet the local sovereigns
on behalf of the Ming emperor, and to offer them gifts.
179.879 -> The expedition, after having skirted the coasts
of Champa, reaches the island of Java,
185.777 -> then goes up towards the island of Sumatra to pass
the strait of Malacca.
190.34 -> The ships then launch out into the open sea, reaching the island of Ceylon.
195.591 -> There, the immense Ming fleet is perceived
as a threat by the local king,
200.823 -> who shows himself hostile to Zheng He.
203.791 -> The expedition then continues its route to reach Calicut,
207.822 -> an important commercial crossroads in the heart of the Indian Ocean.
211.537 -> In 1407, Zheng He set out again towards the East.
216.087 -> As he crosses the Straits of Malacca, he hears of a powerful Chinese pirate
221.231 -> who has seized the city of Palembang and is attacking merchant ships.
225.594 -> Zheng He wants to ensure stability in the region, and decides to play the role of policeman.
231.913 -> Engaging in battle, he defeats the pirate
and takes him prisoner.
236.331 -> He returns to Nanjing on October 2, 1407.
240.326 -> Zheng He tells the Emperor about his trip and his discoveries, mentioning in particular rare animals.
247.707 -> Yongle is satisfied and orders a second expedition, which leaves a few days later.
254.217 -> But it is not certain that Zheng He participated in this one.
257.978 -> Overall, the itinerary is the same as the first expedition, with a passage to the kingdom of Siam, present-day Thailand.
266.29 -> In 1409, a third expedition set out, this
time it is certain that Zheng He is its commander.
273.57 -> Arriving in Ceylon, he decides to attack the
local king,
277.496 -> who remains hostile to him and to the new Ming Empire allies.
282.06 -> After engaging in battle, Zheng He prevails,
284.838 -> and a new king favorable to the Ming takes the throne.
288.63 -> In addition, Zheng He erects a stele on the
island,
292.097 -> on which is written – in Chinese, Persian, and Tamil – an offering, which is made to Buddha, to Allah, and to Vishnu.
300.09 -> A year and a half later, in 1413, a fourth
expedition is organized.
306.15 -> This time, Zheng He is charged with venturing
further afield
309.794 -> to continue to expand Chinese influence throughout the world,
313.653 -> and to strengthen diplomatic relations by bringing new gifts to the rulers.
319.17 -> After reaching Calicut, he continues on to Hormuz,
322.493 -> discovering a great trading city filled with foreign merchants.
326.75 -> On the way back, Zheng He learns that in Samudera,
329.732 -> the sultan with whom he is in contact is being challenged by a rebel who is trying to take over.
336.05 -> This time, Zheng He intervenes directly in internal affairs in order to protect the interests of the Ming Empire.
342.84 -> On his return to Nanjing,
345.176 -> emissaries from different states brought gifts to the Yongle emperor as a sign of gratitude.
351.28 -> The Emperor gives them paper money (which is a Chinese invention),
355.35 -> copper coins, and silk fabrics.
358.23 -> The following year, in 1417, the emperor charges Zheng He to leave in order to accompany the emissaries back home.
366.96 -> After reaching Hormuz, Zheng He pushes the expedition even further,
371.327 -> and sails along the coasts of the Arabian Peninsula, and then
Africa.
376.03 -> On the way, he receives giraffes,
lions and elephants.
380.33 -> Zheng He returns to China and hands over all
these exotic animals to the Emperor.
385.84 -> He then leaves for a sixth expedition of a
similar nature.
390.12 -> But while he is at sea, the situation becomes
complicated for Yongle.
395.13 -> Financially, the numerous construction sites
in the new capital Beijing,
399.46 -> the military expeditions against the Mongols, and the diplomatic expeditions of Zheng He are very expensive,
406.565 -> and cause discontent among the populace.
409.75 -> Yongle then decides to temporarily suspend
the expeditions of Zheng He.
415.48 -> In the north, the Mongols take advantage of the instability to launch new military raids against China.
422.23 -> The Emperor then takes the head of an army
and goes to fight them,
425.992 -> but he dies in campaign, on August 12, 1424.
431.15 -> His son Hongxi comes to power and permanently
suspends Zheng He's travels.
436.97 -> But he dies the following year, and is replaced
by his own son, Xuande.
442.21 -> The latter orders Zheng He to finalize the
construction of the Nanjing Porcelain Pagoda.
448.42 -> Then in 1431, he authorizes Zheng He to make
a seventh and last journey
453.947 -> to inform all the kingdoms of the changes in the Ming Empire.
458.07 -> The expedition again follows the same route.
461.13 -> This time, part of the crew even reaches Jeddah
to go to Mecca.
465.25 -> On the way back, in 1433, Zheng He dies at
the age of 62.
470.39 -> In China, instability remains high, and diplomatic
expeditions,
475.145 -> which had become unpopular, are henceforth prohibited,
479.331 -> as well as the construction
of new large ships.
482.449 -> The huge imperial fleet is dismantled,
485.876 -> and the archives and other documents mentioning Zheng He's expeditions are destroyed or lost.
492.515 -> On July 11, 2005, 600 years after the departure of the first expedition,
498.833 -> China decides to make July 11 the maritime day of China, in
honor of Zheng He.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTCVaHn9b88