Chapter 26 The feat of the third quarter seven voyages to the west

In the history of ancient shipping in my country, there was an unprecedented grand feat of ocean voyage, which was the voyage of Zheng He's fleet, a well-known Ming Dynasty eunuch, to the West.From 1405 to 1433 AD, in nearly 30 years, Zheng He led a huge fleet to the Western Seas seven times, passing through more than 30 countries and regions in Asia and Africa, and as far as Somalia on the east coast of Africa today. and Kenya.The brave boatmen of our country have gone through all kinds of difficulties and dangers, opened up long-distance routes one after another, and built one friendship "bridge" after another between the people of China and Asia and Africa.

Zheng He grew up in the turbulent years of the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. His original surname was Ma and he was a Hui nationality.His ancestral home is Yunnan.Both his grandfather and father were called "Haji", which is a noble title in Islam, and only those who have gone through all kinds of hardships to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca, the holy land of Islam on the shore of the Red Sea, can get this title. .When Zheng He was young, he heard his grandfather and father tell about the adventures of crossing mountains and rivers, learned some foreign customs and navigation knowledge, and determined to sail to Mecca to make a pilgrimage when he grew up.

He entered the palace at the age of 11 and became a eunuch.Later, in the mutiny launched by Zhu Di, Zhu Di appreciated his agility and talent, and personally gave him the surname "Zheng". In 1405 AD, Zheng He's first voyage to the Western Ocean was formed.This is an astonishingly large fleet, with 62 huge treasure ships, together with small and medium-sized ships, there are more than 200 ships in total.More than 27,000 people participated in the fleet.In ancient my country, the East Ocean and the West Ocean were actually bounded by the South China Sea.To the east of the South China Sea is the Eastern Ocean, and to the west of the South China Sea is the Western Ocean.The Western Ocean also includes the Indian Ocean and its littoral countries.

On the day of sailing, it happened that autumn was high and the air was crisp, and the northeast wind was blowing on the sea. This was an excellent time to sail to the west. After more than 10 days of driving day and night, a piece of land loomed in front of the fleet, and the country of Champa (now southern Vietnam) had arrived.This is the first country I visit after going abroad!When the king of Champa heard that China had sent a large fleet and envoys, he was very happy and came to greet him in person.He rides an elephant, wears a golden wreath on his head, and is dressed in festive attire, surrounded by more than 500 mighty soldiers.The soldiers held knives in one hand and leather shields in the other, and danced to the sound of coconut flutes in the ranks.This is the most solemn ceremony for Champa to welcome distinguished guests.After the welcoming ceremony, Zheng He gave the king a gift from China, and the king also gave the envoy Zheng He a gift from Champa.Businessmen came to do business one after another.World-renowned Chinese porcelain, silk and satin have won a high reputation.The Chinese fleet bought ivory, spices and medicinal materials sent by Champa merchants.

Farewell to friendly Champa, they continued southward.Along the way, they passed through the country of Java, the old port country (both in present-day Indonesia), passed through the Strait of Malacca, and successively arrived at Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), Guri (in the area of ​​Alleppey on the southwestern coast of India today) and other places. During nearly 30 years, Zheng He made seven missions to the West.These seven voyages can be divided into two historical periods: the first three and the last four.In the first three voyages, the voyage of the fleet was mainly limited to Guli, and the scope of activities did not go beyond Southeast Asia and South Asia. The main purpose was to establish peaceful and friendly relations with the countries in the above-mentioned regions, and to establish a mid-way waiting for the wind for the next voyage to the west of South Asia. stronghold.In the later four voyages, the fleet sailed far away from Hormos (present-day Iran) each time, opening up new routes, establishing friendly relations with some Asian and African countries that have never been connected to China, and opening up the maritime links between China and Asian and African countries. the road.

In the later voyages, the furthest voyage by Zheng He was the fifth time.In 1417 AD, after four voyages to the West, Zheng He successfully arrived at Malacca (Malacca) on the west coast of the Malayan Peninsula.From here, the fleet splits up.Some of the ships crossed the Strait of Malacca to Hulumos and Adan (now Aden); the other part of the ships passed through the Strait of Malacca and first arrived at Ceylon.They continued westward, and after more than 20 days of driving day and night, they arrived at the African continent.The fleet continued to sail south along the coast until it reached Malin (now Kenya) on the east coast of Africa.This was the furthest voyage ever made by Zheng He's fleet.During this visit, more than a dozen countries, including Malaga, Guri, Java, Champa, Ceylon, and Marin, sent envoys to pay tribute to China with their ships.When they resigned, Ming Chengzu ordered Zheng He to go with him, and gave the kings of various countries Jinqi Shaluo colored silk and other things.At the request of King Keyili of Kezhi, Cheng Zu also granted him a seal and enshrined the mountain of his country as Zhenguo Mountain, and gave it with an inscription personally made, as a sign of friendship.

Zheng He died of illness during his seventh voyage.At this time, Ming Chengzu and Renzong had passed away, and Zheng He was 60 years old, but he still led a fleet of more than 27,000 people on the voyage.Along the way, he visited most of the countries and regions he visited in the previous six times, met local political leaders and friendly people, and conducted economic and cultural exchanges.At the same time, he also visited some countries and regions that he had not visited before.Zheng He and his entourage traveled all over Southeast Asia and Western countries, and completed their missions brilliantly.On the way home, Zheng He, who was overworked, fell ill again, and died before reaching the homeland of China.His body was carried back to China by the officers and soldiers onboard, and was solemnly buried at the foot of Niu Shou Mountain outside the Zhonghua Gate in Nanjing.The tomb still exists.

Zheng He, the great navigator of the Ming Dynasty, and his fleet relied on collective strength and wisdom to fight against the ocean in the stormy sea.Their pioneering and enterprising spirit of bravely overcoming difficulties and risking their lives has demonstrated the fearless heroism of the Chinese people.Their political, economic and cultural exchanges with many countries and regions in Asia and Africa have written a new chapter in the friendship between Chinese and foreign peoples.The "Zheng He's Nautical Charts" drawn by them, the summed up navigation experience and the open ocean routes are all rich and precious cultural heritages left to future generations, which are always worthy of our commemoration.People have seen that cultural relics and historic sites commemorating Zheng He's voyages have been preserved in some countries and regions. (Bao) Temple.In Somalia, Africa, the Ming Dynasty porcelain unearthed there is used as a symbol of the traditional friendship between the Chinese and Somali peoples.The seven voyages to the West led by Zheng He, an outstanding navigator in the Ming Dynasty, with his outstanding talent and heroic spirit, was actually the beginning of the world's large-scale navigation era in the 15th and 16th centuries, and it was a great historical event with worldwide significance.