Chapter 29 Section 5 Zheng He’s Treasure Ship Sails to India

In the Ming Dynasty, China's navigation industry further developed, so that Zheng He's seven voyages to the West appeared, which strengthened the exchanges between China and India. "History of the Ming Dynasty" Volume 304 "Biography of Zheng He" records the time of these seven voyages to the West: "Cheng Zu suspected that Emperor Hui had died overseas, and wanted to trace him, and wanted to show off his troops in foreign lands to show China's prosperity. Yongle three years six Yue Minghe and his companion Wang Jinghong traveled to the West.There were more than 27,800 soldiers and soldiers, and they paid more gold coins.To build a large ship, it is sixty-two to build forty-four feet and eighteen feet wide.From Liujiahe in Suzhou to Fujian, sailed from Wuhumen in Fujian, first arrived at Champa, then traversed the other kingdoms, proclaimed the edict of the emperor, and gave it to the emperor, and if he refused, he would be deterred by force.In September of the fifth year, peace was returned, and envoys from various countries met with them. "This was the first time in 1405-1407. The following six times were in 1408, 1411, 1415, 1421, 1424 and 1430. Zheng He made seven voyages to the West, covering more than 30 countries. Includes several regions of India.

Fei Xin, Ma Huan, and Gong Zhen, who accompanied Zheng He on his voyages to the West, wrote three books, "Xingcha Shenglan", "Yingya Shenglan" and "Western Fan Guozhi" respectively after returning to China.The book records in detail the conditions of the countries he visited during his voyages to the West, and is an important document for the study of cultural exchanges between China and India.At the same time as Zheng He, Hou Xian was also ordered to go to India many times.He traveled mainly by land, but there are also records of traveling by sea.According to the "Ming History" volume 304 "Hou Xianzhuan" records: "(Yongle) thirteen years in July, the emperor wanted to pass the list of the Gela kingdoms, and he was ordered to lead a boat and sail. His country is the land of East India, and he went to China. Far away. His king, Saifoding, sent envoys to pay tribute to Qilin and other things." "Yingya Shenglan", "History of the Ming Dynasty" Volume 326, "Foreign Biography Seven" records similarly.According to books such as "Xingcha Shenglan", "Yingya Shenglan" and "Ming History", the South Asian countries or regions that were connected with China (mostly by sea, a few by land) in the Ming Dynasty were: Nepal (Nepal), Dili (Delhi), Zhanapur (Jampur, Uttar Pradesh, India today), Banggala (Bangladesh and West Bengal, India), Ananda Kung Germany (in present-day Karnataka, South India), Kochi (now Cochin on the west coast of South India), Little Gelan (Kelung on the west coast of South India), Grand Gelan (Kelung or its south), Gayile (on the east coast of South India), Ganbali ( Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India), Western Soli, Soli (all on the southwestern coast of India), Guri, Cuilan Mountain (now Nicobar Islands), Yanduman (Andaman Islands), etc.

Let's focus on "Yingya Shenglan" and the author Ma Huan.Ma Huan, a native of Zhejiang, a believer in Islam, understands Arabic, and served as an interpreter in Zheng He's fleet.Due to the language relationship, he knows more about the situation in India than others.Therefore, his "Yingya Shenglan" records the situation in various parts of India in more detail than the other two books, and has more words.Among them, he recorded the characters of Kezhi Kingdom and Guli Kingdom, which are equivalent to six or seven times of the same entry in "Xingcha Shenglan".Such detailed records provide first-hand information for people to study the politics, economy, military, and folk customs of Indian society at that time, and also provide extremely valuable information for people to study the history of Sino-Indian relations.For example, in the article "Kezhi Kingdom", its geographical location is first recorded, and then its clothing, dwellings, status and occupation of the fifth-class people in the middle school, the king's beliefs, the behavior of monks, climate, special products, weights and measures, etc. are recorded. Currency, trade with China, currency exchange, wedding and funeral ceremonies, agricultural and animal husbandry products, etc.In the "Ancient Li Kingdom" article, in addition to the above basic content, it also records the historical facts and inscription content of Zheng He's stele erected here in the fifth year of Yongle.In addition, there are records about local food, musical instruments, and laws, which are rich and vivid.

In the late Ming Dynasty, the cultural exchanges between China and India were mainly reflected in commodity trade, and the European colonists played a leading role in the trade, because at that time both China and India showed signs of falling behind, while Western powers were rushing eastward. Come, control the maritime traffic in Nanyang. In 1557, the Portuguese established a foothold in Macau and used it as a base to carry out their Europe-South Asia-East Asia trade. In 1571, the Spaniards occupied Manila and started their famous Manila galleon trade, which was somewhat related to India.The Dutch East India Company has been seeking trade with China since the early 17th century. In 1622, the Dutch failed to attack Macau and instead occupied Penghu Island. In 1624, they were defeated again and occupied southern Taiwan instead.They engaged in looting activities while trading, making huge profits in Europe, South Asia, and China.