1. Carry out peaceful diplomacy and stabilize the international order in Southeast Asia.
Before Zheng He's voyage to the West, the international environment around China was turbulent, which was mainly manifested in mutual suspicion and competition among Southeast Asian countries. At that time, Java and Siam, the two largest countries in Southeast Asia, expanded outward, oppressed some neighboring countries, threatened Malaga, Sumatra, Zhancheng and Zhenla, and even killed the envoys of the Ming Dynasty in Sankou, intercepting the missions that paid tribute to China; Another pirate is rampant, and Southeast Asia and South Asia are rampant. They are very arrogant and the maritime traffic lines are not guaranteed. These unstable factors, on the one hand, directly affected the security of southern China, on the other hand, greatly affected the international image of the Ming Dynasty, which was not conducive to the stability and development of the Ming Dynasty. In this situation, Ming Chengzu adopted a peaceful foreign policy of "keeping China at home, looking after foreigners, treating each other as equals and enjoying peace". Zheng He was sent to lead a fleet to the Western Ocean to mediate and ease conflicts among countries by various means, so as to maintain maritime traffic safety, thus linking the stability and development of China with the surrounding areas, trying to establish a long-term stable international environment and enhance the international prestige of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, it can be seen from the mission of sending Zheng He in the Ming Dynasty that this is a mission to achieve peace.
Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas mediated contradictions, calmed conflicts, and eliminated barriers, which was conducive to the stability of surrounding areas, safeguarded the stability and maritime security of Southeast Asia and South Asia, and enhanced the reputation of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, it can be seen that Zheng He's fleet has strong military strength, but it is not used for aggression and expansion, but for peaceful purposes. In the international environment at that time, there were thousands of people in Chen Zuyi and tens of thousands of people in Alejandro Nair. Without strong military strength, it was difficult to achieve peace.
Needham's evaluation: China, an oriental navigator, is calm and docile, does not remember old accounts, is generous and generous, and never threatens the survival of others, although he has benefactors; They are armed to the teeth, but they never conquer foreigners or build forts.
2. Deterre the enemy, contain the Mongolian forces and safeguard national security.
At that time, the threats to the security of the Ming Dynasty mainly came from two directions: pirates in the East China Sea, the remnants of the Mongolian Yuan in the north and the Timur Empire in the northwest. Japanese pirates first appeared in the late Yuan Dynasty, and there was a civil war in Japan. In order to survive, some samurai and ronin robbed the coast of China, which was very rampant during the period of Zhu Yuanzhang in the early Ming Dynasty. At that time, the Ming Dynasty had just been established, and the domestic situation was still unstable. So we concentrated on Anne, adopted a passive defense strategy in national defense, set up health centers in coastal provinces, built the Great Wall in the north, and sent troops to the border.
During Judy's period, land and sea posed a serious threat to the security of the Ming Dynasty. He changed his passive defense strategy, took the initiative to leave the plane, moved the capital in the direction of land, and personally conquered Mobei. Zheng He's navy was set in the direction of the sea, deterring and attacking the Japanese pirates and anti-Ming forces, strategically encircling from the sea and strategically containing the northwest, thus alleviating the pressure in the north of the Ming Dynasty.
3. Develop overseas trade and spread Chinese civilization.
Zheng He's mission to the West was mainly for political purposes, but it also had certain economic purposes. There are many considerations for the country to implement such a large strategic action. During Zheng He's fleet's voyage to the West, many trade activities were carried out, mainly in three forms:
The first kind of tribute trade. This kind of trade is the basic form of Zheng He's voyage to the West, and it has the nature of a feudal sovereign state. In this way, these small countries recognized the status of the sovereign state of the Ming Dynasty, which was the political purpose of tribute trade. At that time, all countries actively paid tribute to China. On the one hand, they were sheltered by the Ming Dynasty, on the other hand, they were richly rewarded. According to statistics, in the 22nd year of Yongle, envoys from Asian and African countries related to Zheng He's voyages to the West visited China * * * 3 times18 times, with an average of 15 times per year, which is unprecedented. Even more, the kings of Brunei, Malaga, Sulu and Gumalang personally led a delegation. At most, 18 tribute missions from different countries came to China at the same time, and three kings died in China during the visit. They will entrust China with burial. In the Ming Dynasty, the king was given a heavy burial.
The second kind of official trade. This is an important part of Zheng He's voyage to the West. Trading with local businessmen under the official auspices of both sides is an important way to expand overseas trade in the Ming Dynasty. Zheng He's fleet was full of gifts and goods from China, such as copper coins, silk, porcelain and iron. This kind of trade can be bought and sold with copper coins in the Ming Dynasty, and many things can be bartered. The most influential is the high-five pricing method. In Guri, China, after the fleet arrived, the local agent was responsible for the transaction and took the goods to trading places. The two sides negotiated the price face to face under the auspices of officials. Once an agreement is reached, they will never go back on their word. The two sides high-fived each other to show the deal. This friendly trade model has been circulated as a beautiful talk in the local area. During Zheng He's voyages to the West, especially in the last few voyages, the scale of trade expanded, following the principles of equality, voluntariness and equal exchange, and possessing some basic principles of international trade.
The third kind of non-governmental trade. To some extent, this kind of trade was promoted by Zheng He's trade activities in the Western Seas. It is not produced by the government, but spontaneously by businessmen or people. Zheng He's voyages to the West wiped out pirates, safeguarded maritime safety, opened up navigation channels, and promoted and stimulated non-governmental trade. According to some scholars' research, Zheng He's mission did not prohibit officers and men from exchanging some China goods along the way. People in Southeast Asia like China's silk, porcelain and tools very much. As soon as Zheng He's fleet arrived, they rushed to row boats or trade at the dock, and some also invited officers and men to set up stalls at the local market. At that time, China mainly exported porcelain, silk, tea, lacquerware, metal products and copper coins. China mainly uses them to exchange jewelry, spices, medicinal materials and rare animals. At that time, China imported 100 Jin of pepper from overseas, and the local value was 1 2. When it returned to China, it sold 20 Liang, which was very profitable.
Zheng He's trade activities in the Western Seas include political trade and economic trade.
Wherever Zheng He went to the West, he not only conducted overseas trade, but also spread China's advanced culture. At that time, some countries and regions in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa were backward in social development and longed for Chinese civilization. When Judy sent Zheng He to the Western Seas, she also shouldered the mission of "educating overseas countries, guiding etiquette and changing habits". Zheng He spread Chinese civilization overseas and wrote a new chapter in the history of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. The contents of Zheng He's voyage to the West to spread Chinese civilization mainly include the following aspects: Chinese etiquette and Confucianism, calendar and weights and measures system, agricultural technology, manufacturing technology, architectural carving technology, medical technology, navigation and shipbuilding technology.
There are still many stories about Zheng He circulating overseas. There are Bukit China and Lihang Baojing in Malaysia, Semarang and Semarang Temple in Indonesia, leaving the remains of Zheng He and expressing the local people's respect for this pioneer in spreading Chinese civilization.
4. Develop marine industry and lay Asian-African routes.
The ocean is the cradle of life, accounting for 70.8% of the earth's surface area and rich in resources. Since ancient times, it has been a space for human production and life, which has had an important impact on human society and is closely related to the survival, development and rise and fall of our Chinese nation. Our ancestors created Longshan and Baiyue marine cultures in the early days. /kloc-At the beginning of the 5th century, Zheng He's voyages to the West pushed China's ancient marine industry to the peak of development and made important contributions to human marine civilization. Mainly manifested in:
First, the Asian-African intercontinental route was opened, paving the way for westerners to sail in Asia and Africa. When Portuguese navigator Da Gama reached the east coast around the Cape of Good Hope along the west coast of Africa, the locals told us that China people had visited several times decades ago. With the help of Arab navigators, they successfully reached India along the route opened by Zheng He's fleet.
Secondly, I made some marine expeditions to the western Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, and collected and mastered a lot of marine scientific data. Zheng He's nautical charts were drawn through a large number of marine surveys. This kind of marine exploration activity is more than 400 years earlier than the earliest marine survey recorded by British Challenger (1872- 1876).
The third is the strategic layout of the navigation area. According to his mission and marine knowledge, Zheng He chose Zhancheng, Malaga, Jiugang, Guli and Hulumos as the key areas for marine development, which is conducive to expanding the scope of overseas transportation and trade.
Zheng He's voyages to the West made many contributions to the marine cause. Zheng He's brilliant achievements belong to China and the world. He has been in the ocean for 28 years since he was in his thirties. He was 60 years old when he went to the Western Ocean for the last time. For the sake of cultural exchanges and navigation between China and foreign countries, he resolutely led the fleet out. This time, he never came back and died in Guri, India, at the age of 62, buried forever on the road of peace he opened up.
Among the China heroes with bright stars, Zheng He has attracted the attention of the international community not only because he is ahead of westerners in navigation technology, but also because he is superior to westerners in navigation technology. I think the most important aspect for people to pay attention to and study him is probably a cultural spirit represented by Zheng He: a value orientation of China people who are brave in suffering and conquering nature, and a determination to open their doors to the world for cultural exchanges.
Zheng He's spirit of loving his post and serving the country is eternal, which embodies the excellent qualities of the Chinese nation, such as openness, enterprising, peace and friendship, exchanges and cooperation, ocean management and being the first in the world. It is a valuable spiritual wealth, which is worthy of being inherited and carried forward by future generations and promoting human civilization.
★ Controversy about Zheng He's voyage to the West.
Origin: This year marks the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's voyage to the West. A series of articles have been published in the media, and some issues have caused controversy. The focus is mainly on three questions: what is the purpose of Zheng He's voyage to the West? Did Zheng He's fleet discover the new continent? Did Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas "push" the Ming Dynasty to a closed door?
Viewpoint: What is the purpose of Zheng He's voyage to the West? To sum up, there are several main viewpoints: first, the theory of "looking for Jianwen Emperor"; The second is containment theory; The third is the theory of "collecting surplus grain from Zhang Shicheng and Fang Guozhen navy"; Fourth, the theory of "showing national strength"; Fifth, the theory of "levying tribute envoys"; Sixth, the theory of "developing overseas trade". Although these statements have their own factual basis to support their establishment, which explains the motivation of Zheng He's seven voyages to the West to some extent, they cannot fully explain the purpose of Zheng He's seven voyages to the West alone. Perhaps only by combining these views can we draw a more comprehensive conclusion.
The question of whether Zheng He discovered the New World. The book 142 1: China Discovers the World, written by Gavin Memphis, a retired British submarine commander and amateur maritime historian, was officially published in China. In his book, he pointed out that Zheng He's voyage to the Western Ocean was the first fleet sailing around the earth in human history, which was 87 years earlier than Columbus' discovery of the new continent, 92 years earlier than Bida Gama, and 1 16 years earlier than Magellan's arrival in the Philippines. It is said that he found a projection map dated 1459 in Venice, Italy, with southern Africa and the Cape of Good Hope painted on it. Of course, there are other written arguments. Memphis believes that China people drew a roughly correct world map through a series of navigation activities in the15th century, while the "great geographical discovery" of the west in the16th century was completed by the Portuguese on the premise of using the world maps drawn in the15th century and the early16th century. However, most historians in China insist that there is no such record in the history of China. According to Zhu Yunming's "Past Events" in Ming Dynasty, Zheng He reached the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa as far as possible, which is now Somalia and Kenya. Whether Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas pushed the Ming Dynasty to a closed door. In this regard, some people think that Zheng He's voyage to the West led to the isolation of China. Some people think this view is inappropriate. With Zheng He's many voyages to the West, an objective effect appeared, which stimulated the development of private overseas trade. Therefore, Zheng He's voyages to the West did not "promote" the isolation of the country, but promoted the development of private overseas trade.
Over the years, western countries have paid more and more attention to the historical significance of Zheng He's voyage to the West. On the occasion of commemorating the 500th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America, many western scholars thought of Zheng He's voyage to the West. The New York Times published a long article about Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas, and once again raised the question: What would the world look like today if China continued to develop the open policy and maritime exploration in Zheng He's era?
The American "International Herald" commented: The rulers of China did not continue to promote China's marine cause according to Zheng He's marine thought and practice, and did not turn the ancient civilization with a long history into a country of commerce, diplomacy, trade and knowledge, leaving a humble and isolated historical regret. However, it is entirely possible for the development of China to make up for this defect.
The historical facts of Zheng He's voyage to the Western Ocean clearly tell us once again that the exchange, cooperation, integration and influence between countries will become more and more important if the times are to develop and society is to progress. Openness, tolerance, determination to explore and peaceful struggle have forged the road to national prosperity. On the contrary, self-isolation and self-assembly destroy the vitality of the nation. No matter in the past, present or future, China culture will be the mainstay in the field of world culture, and it will play a decisive role in spreading world advanced culture and strengthening world cultural exchanges.
Malaysian Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Ma Xiuqiang said in Kuala Lumpur that the history of Zheng He's voyages to the West proved that China's booming economy was not a threat, but a positive opportunity to promote the development of other countries. Since 1974, when Malaysia first established diplomatic relations with China among ASEAN countries, bilateral economic and trade relations between Malaysia and China have developed by leaps and bounds, and China has now become an important exporter of Malaysia, which has had a far-reaching impact on Malaysia's politics and economy.
Zheng He has long been misunderstood and ignored.
For a long time, the significance of Zheng He's voyage to the Western Seas has not been paid due attention, and Zheng He's research has little influence in China academic circles. Compared with the stories of western navigators such as Columbus, Da Gama and Magellan, Zheng He's seven voyages to the West have never been known to the people.
Dr. Wu Zhiliang, Chairman of Macau Foundation, believes that Zheng He's research should be considered from a broader perspective, especially the comparative study with the western maritime history writing system. At present, there are still many problems in the study of Zheng He. Regarding the view of foreign experts that Zheng He's voyage to the Western Ocean was a military expedition, Wu Zhiliang said that this fleet of more than 27,000 people was mostly officers and men, but it was basically to protect the safety of the fleet. "Strive for peace by force" is different from "conquer by force"
Jason Wu, an academician of Academia Sinica and a professor of national cheng kung university in Taiwan Province, appealed that Zheng He's voyages to the West had rich scientific and technological aspects, which should be discussed with humanities and scientific and technological scholars. For example, convening historians and shipbuilding experts to discuss Zheng He's treasure ship, discussing Zheng He's route with oceanographers and navigation experts, recruiting and training a huge maritime force, establishing a commercial team, and controlling and replenishing a huge maritime fleet are all extraordinary management achievements.
Professor Peking University Kong and Professor Yang Kangshan found that Zheng He had more than four influences in Southeast Asian coastal countries and regions, namely, there were many temples, relics and legends of Zheng He, many works of Zheng He published in local languages, and activities to commemorate Zheng He and institutions to study Zheng He gradually increased. But behind these influences, most people living in these areas have many misunderstandings about Zheng He. In the eyes of most China people, Zheng He is the God of Blessing; In the eyes of the aborigines, Zheng He is only the legendary "three guarantees", and they know little about Zheng He and his great achievements in history.