Zheng He
Did HE discover the new world?
Background information
Please read the passage and watch the first video then answer the questions on the next slide. If you have time check out the other videos.
The Voyage of Zheng He | 1421: The Year the Chinese Discovered America?
In 2002, retired submarine commander Gavin Menzies presented a lecture in which he claimed a Chinese fleet under Admiral Zheng He began a series of voyages in 1421 that would ultimately discover the North American continent. Menzies’s theory threatened the previously held belief that Columbus was the first explorer to travel to North America in 1492. Menzies believed European explorers like Columbus had maps prior to their expeditions. He concluded that only China had the resources to create such maps, build seaworthy ships and undertake an exploration of that scope. In this video segment adapted from 1421: The Year the Chinese Discovered America? learn how Menzies came to these conclusions. For more about Chinese exploration, see “The Voyage of Zheng He - II.”
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More videos to check out
Please answer the questions.
By the way you got your prior knowledge from the previous slide.
After you answer the questions move on to the next slide.
The answer for the last two questions you can find in the video.
The first three I want you to answer based on what you already know.
What is Prior Knowledge?
Why is what you know important?
How does what you already know affect how you learn new ideas and concepts?
What is Gavin Menzies’ theory & on what fact does he establish his theory?
Which two explorers had maps to use on their voyages?
Let’s take a look at some of what HE did.
Voyages of Zheng He
1405-1433
The ships of Zheng's armada were as astonishing as its reach. Some accounts claim that the great baochuan, or treasure ships, had nine masts on 400-foot-long (122-meter-long) decks. The largest wooden ships ever built, they dwarfed those of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama. Hundreds of smaller cargo, war, and supply ships bore tens of thousands of men who brought China to a wider world.
1. 1405-1407 - 317 ships - 27,870 men
In July the fleet left Nanjing with silks, porcelain, and spices for trade. This well-armed floating city defeated pirates in the Strait of Malacca and reached Sumatra, Ceylon, and India.
2. 1407-1409
The fleet returned foreign ambassadors from Sumatra, India, and elsewhere who had traveled to China on the first voyage. The expeditions firmly established the Ming dynasty's Indian Ocean trade links.
3. 1409-1411
Although notable for the imperial fleet's only major foreign land battle, the voyage was also marked by Muslim Zheng's offering of gifts to a Buddhist temple, one of many examples of his ecumenism.
4. 1413-1415
In this voyage's wake, the first to travel beyond India and cross the Arabian Sea, an estimated 18 states sent tribute and envoys to China, underscoring the Ming emperor's influence overseas.
5. 1417-1419
Zheng's Treasure Fleet visited the Arabian Peninsula and, for the first time, Africa. In Aden the sultan presented exotic gifts such as zebras, lions, and ostriches.
6. 1421-1422
Zheng He's fleet continued the emperor's version of shuttle diplomacy, returning ambassadors to their native countries after stays of several years, while bringing other foreign dignitaries back to China.
7. 1431-1433
The last voyage, to Africa's Swahili coast, with a side trip to Mecca, marked the end of China's golden age of exploration and of Zheng He's life. He presumably died en route home and was buried at sea.
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Now lets create
What do you think? Was he the first to reach the new land? Either way, give me your thoughts.
Answer Below:
Don’t forget to include evidence for your claim. Use evidence from what you saw or read on slide 2. Extra points for posting to our class blog.