*Timeline:
A Chronology Of the Ming Voyages
First Voyage 1405-1406:
Zheng He commanded a fleet of 317 ships, almost 28,000 men, their
arms and supplies. The fleet included several massive "treasure ships," approximately
400 feet long and 160 feet wide. The places the fleet stopped included
Champa (central Vietnam); Majapahit on Java; and Semudra and Deli on
the northern coast of Sumatra. It continued to Ceylon and then to Calicut,
known as "the great country of the Western Ocean." Traveling
through the Straits of Malacca on its return, the Chinese defeated
a pirate chief who had been threatening trading ships in the
Straits. Zheng
He was not able to find any trace of the deposed Emperor whom
some Chinese had thought might have found asylum in Southeast
Asia
.
Second Voyage 1407-1409:
Zheng He did not go on the second voyage which probably returned
the Siamese ambassador who had gone to China earlier on his
own, and installed
a new leader in Calicut. Again the fleet stopped at Champa
(central Vietnam); Majapahit on Java; and Semudra and Deli on the
northern
coast of Sumatra;
Ceylon; and Calicut.
Third Voyage 1409-1411:
This expedition's special charge concerned Malacca, a port
on the Malay peninsula that was gaining importance. Stopping
in Malacca,
the Chinese
recognized Paramesawara as the legitimate ruler of Malacca
and gave him a tablet officially declaring that the city
was a vassal
state
of China.
Increasing Malacca's power, the Chinese court believed, would
establish a balance of power among Siam, Java and Malacca
and insure Chinese
trading rights through the Straits. After stopping at Semudra,
the fleet went
to Ceylon where they got involved in a local power struggle
among its Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslim populations. Luring
the Sinhalese
troops
out of the city, Zheng He and his troops took the capital,
captured the ruler and installed a ruler of their own choice
in his place.
After this
voyage many ambassadors from the countries the treasure fleet
had visited brought tribute to the Ming court.
Fourth Voyage 1414-15:
This voyage headed for Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. The fleet
stopped at Champa and Java. At Sumatra, the Chinese captured
a pretender
to one of the local thrones and sent him back to Nanjing
where he was executed.
One part of the fleet went to Bengal and brought a giraffe
back to the Emperor. (The Chinese believed the giraffe
was a magical
animal
comparable
to the unicorn, an auspicious sign and symbol of the righteousness
of the Ming reign.) Zheng He and the rest of the fleet
continued up the
coast of Malay; to Ceylon; the Maldives; ports on the Indian
coast; and Hormuz. This voyaged marked the height of Chinese
influence
in the Indian
Ocean.
1415: The Emperor decides to move the Chinese court from
Nanjing to Beijing.
1416: Repairs on the Grand Canal are completed.
Fifth Voyage 1417-19:
This impressive fleet was to take back home 19 ambassadors
who had brought tribute to the Chinese court. While at
Quanzhou, Zheng
He
tried to stop
the persecution of Muslims there. The fleet then went
to several ports on Champa and Java; to Palembang and other
ports on Sumatra;
to Malacca
on the Malay peninsula; the Maldives, Ceylon; and Cochin
and Calicut. This time the Chinese attempted to strengthen
Cochin
to counter
the power of Calicut. The fleet explored the Arabian
coast from Hormuz
to Aden
and the east coast of Africa, returning ambassadors from
Mogadishu, Brawa, and Malinda and also stopped at Mombasa.
The sailors
brought the Emperor
another giraffe from Africa.
Sixth Voyage 1421-22:
Besides taking ambassadors home, this voyage explored
more of the coast of Africa. At Semudra the fleet divided
and
the majority
of the ships
went to Aden and the coast of Africa while Zheng He
returned to China, perhaps so he could participate in the events
surrounding the dedication
of the Forbidden City in Beijing as the new capital.
1419-23: A costly rebellion erupts in Annam.
1421: Fire destroys much of the Forbidden City. Emperor
Zhu Di first invites criticism, but soon he kills those
who criticized
him.
1422: Emperor Zhu Di plans a military expedition against
the Mongols.
1424: Emperor Zhu dies while on military maneuvers
in the north.
1424: Zhi Di's eldest son becomes Emperor. He favors
his Confucian advisors and hopes to lessen tax burdens
on the
people caused
by expensive military
maneuvers, the voyages of the fleet and moving the
capital.
1424: The Emperor issues an edict ending all voyages
of the treasure ships.
1425: The Emperor dies.
1425-1435: Zhu Zhanji becomes Emperor.
1430: Emperor Zhu Zhanji issues an edict calling for
a 7th voyage to inform distant lands of his rule and
to urge
them
to "follow
the way of heaven and to watch over the people so that all might
enjoy
the good fortune of lasting peace."
Seventh Voyage 1431-1433:
300 ships with approximately 27,500 men embark. Besides
ports on Champa and Java, the fleet stops at Palembang,
Malacca,
Semudra,
Ceylon and
Calicut. The Chinese urge the Siamese king to stop
harassing the kingdom of Malacca. At Calicut, one
part of the fleet
goes along
the east African
coast to Malinidi and trade on the Red Sea and several
of the Chinese sailors may have visited Mecca. Zheng
He, who
had probably
stayed
in Calicut, died on the return voyage and was buried
at sea.
1435: The Emperor dies.
1436 - 1449: Zhu Qizhen, the emperor's seven year
old son, becomes Emperor. Initially he is controlled
by
eunuch Wang
Zhen
1449: Wang leads an expedition against the Mongols
on the northwest frontier. During this campaign,
the Mongols
capture
the Emperor
Zhu Qizhen and
hold him prisoner.
1450: Emperor Zhu Qizhen gets free from Mongols and
is reinstated as Emperor. Tension and rivalry exist
between
Confucian scholars
and other
advisors, particulars the court eunuchs. Emperor
Zhu Qizhen faces the urgent question: Should the
court
resume the
voyages or end
them?