When did Zheng He go to the Seven Seas?

1405 1 1 In July (the third year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty), Ming Taizu Chengzu ordered Zheng He to lead a huge fleet of more than 240 seagoing ships and 27,400 crew members to sail and visited more than 30 countries and regions in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean, which deepened the friendly relations between China and Southeast Asia and East Africa. From Liujiagang, Zhou Su, to 1433 (eight years of Xuande in Ming Dynasty), it sailed eight times. For the last time, in April of eight years, Xuande returned to Guri and died on the ship. The folk story "Popular Romance of Sambo Eunuch's Journey to the West" calls his travel adventure Sambo Eunuch's Journey to the West. Zheng He has been to more than 30 countries, including Java, Sumatra, Sulu, Pahang, Zhenla, Guri, Siam, Adan, Tian Fang, Zoufal, Hume, Mugushu, as far away as the east coast of Africa, the Red Sea, Mecca and possibly Australia. Zheng He brought giraffes from Africa in 14 14 (the 12th year of Yongle). Shen Du's Fu of Ruiying Qilin was painted by court painters in Ming Dynasty. The definition of "Western Ocean" under navigation in the early Ming Dynasty is bounded by Borneo/Brunei, with the East Ocean and the West Ocean in the east. Therefore, the South China Sea and the Southwest China Sea were called the Eastern Ocean and the Western Ocean in the Ming Dynasty, and the ocean in Siam Bay was called the Rising Sea. The first voyage to the West was on June 15th (June 15th, 65438+July 10th, 0405). Set sail from Longjiang Port in Nanjing, passed through Taicang and returned to China on September 5th (June 5438+0407, June 65438+ October 2nd). The data of the first voyage to the West included 27,800 people. The second voyage to the West started in the fifth year of Yongle (1407, 10, 13) on September 13th and arrived in Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, India and other places. They greeted the Buddha's tooth in Mount Ceylon and took it back. In the summer of the seventh year of Yongle (1400), there were 27,000 people who went to the West for the second time. In September, the third voyage to the Western Ocean (1409, 10) set sail from Liujia Port in Taicang. Yao, Fei Xin, Ma Huan and others followed them to Vietnam, Malaysia, India and other places, and visited Mount Ceylon on their way home. June 16 Yongle (14 1 1). The fourth voyage to the West began in November of the 11th year of Yongle (14165438+10), accompanied by the translator Ma Huan, bypassing the Arabian Peninsula and ending in the 13th year of Yongle (14 15). In June165438+1October of the same year, Ambassador Marinte came to China to present the "Kirin" (giraffe). The data of the fourth voyage to the West was 27,670. The fifth voyage to the Western Ocean started in May (1465438+June 2007), accompanied by Pu Rihe, a descendant of Pu Shougeng, and arrived in Zhancheng and Java Island via Quanzhou, on July 30th (14228) in the 19th year of Yongle (17). In the 22nd year of Yongle, Ming Chengzu died, and Injong Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne. Because of the economic emptiness, he ordered to stop sailing to the west. The seventh treasure ship set sail from Longjiang Pass (now Shimonoseki, Nanjing) on the sixth day of December (143 1). After his return, Zheng He died of overwork in Guri on the west coast of India in the eighth year of Xuande (1433), and the fleet was led by eunuch Wang Jinghong. The data of the seventh voyage to the West included 27,550 people developing overseas trade, including tribute trade, official trade and folk trade. According to Ming History and Biography of Zheng He, there are 63 treasure ships of Zheng He, the largest of which is 44 feet long and 18 feet wide. It was the largest seagoing ship in the world at that time, with a length of1.51.18m and a width of 665438m at present. This ship has four floors. Nine masts on the ship can hang 12 sails, and the anchor weighs several thousand kilograms. It takes 200 people to set sail, and a ship can hold thousands of people. "History of Ming Dynasty: Military History" also records that "the treasure ship is as high as a building, with a wide tip at the bottom, which can accommodate thousands of people". The affirmative school thinks that the history of the Ming Dynasty is basically correct, because the "2,000-material ship" recorded in Zheng He's stele in Nanjing Jinghai Temple is not a "treasure ship", but a smaller "warship". Nanjing Zhenghe Shipyard excavated a rudder about15m long, which is the same size as the treasure ship described in Ming History. The wharf of Nanjing Zhenghe Shipyard is 20 feet wide. Ibn battuta (1304- 1377) once recorded in his travel notes that China has a huge 12 sail, which can carry thousands of people. The record of Baitutai can be used as circumstantial evidence of 12 treasure ship with thousands of people in sail. Sceptics: They think that the strength of wood is limited, and an oversized hull can't guarantee water tightness, making it difficult to sail for a long time. According to the records of Zheng He's remains in Nanjing Jinghai Temple, Zheng He's first treasure ship was "two thousand materials". According to their inference, it is about fifteen to twenty feet long and six to eight feet wide. The carrying capacity is about 5000 tons. So far, no one has copied a 44-foot-long "treasure ship" that can really sail. At present, most of the imitation treasure ships take a skeptical view. Even in the voice of doubt, Zheng He's treasure ship was still the world's leading ship at that time. Navigation technology According to Zheng He's nautical chart, Zheng He used the sea needle (24/48 azimuth compass navigation) combined with the star-pulling technique (astronomical navigation), which was the most advanced navigation technology at that time. The Significance of Zheng He's Sailing to the West Zheng He has been to more than 30 countries, including Java, Sumatra, Sulu, Pahang, Zhenwax, Guri, Siam, Adan, Tian Fang, Zoufal, Hume, Mugu, as far away as the east coast of Africa, the Red Sea and Mecca, and possibly Australia. These records all represent the pinnacle of China's maritime exploration, more than 80 years earlier than the western explorer Da Gama Columbus and others. At that time, the Ming dynasty was ahead of the west in navigation technology, fleet size, sailing distance, duration and related fields. In the historical significance of Zheng He's voyage to the Western Seas, there are many overseas interpretations. "In Zheng He's era, China really assumed the responsibility of a civilized country: be strong but not hegemonic, spread goodwill to friendly countries, publicize rewards, and be generous. The Mystery of Zheng He's Files Destroyed According to Zhou Zi in Special Areas, Zheng He's files on his voyages to the West were originally stored in the Ministry of War. During the Chenghua period in Ming Xianzong, the emperor ordered the Ministry of War to check the old files of Sambo, but the officials sent by Xiang Zhong, the minister of the Ministry of War, could not find them for three days, and Liu Daxia had already hid in advance. Xiang Zhong asked officials, how can the documents in the library be lost? Liu Daxia, who was present at that time, said: "Three guarantees to the West Sea cost hundreds of thousands, and thousands of soldiers and civilians died. What are the benefits of getting treasures? "Although the old files are still there, they should be destroyed. Why do you ask? " . Zheng He's voyages to the West should include a large number of original materials, such as imperial edicts, Zheng He's fleet establishment, lists, logbooks, accounts, etc. Whether a large number of Zheng He files were destroyed by Liu Daxia is still a mystery. The disappearance of a large number of Zheng He's archives has brought great difficulties and restrictions to Zheng He's research. Zheng He's Theory of Discovering America In the best-selling book "142 1: China Discovers the World" published in 2002, gavin menzies, a former submarine commander of the British Royal Navy, put forward the argument that the detachment of Zheng He's fleet had sailed around the world and discovered America and Oceania long before the era of the Great Western Sailing. On June 65438+1October 16, 2006, a China painted on 1763 and marked Yongle 16 (14 18) was exhibited simultaneously in Beijing and maritime museum, a Greenwich country in London. The navigation map of China has detailed navigation areas and outlines of America, Europe and Africa. In addition, the picture is accompanied by descriptions of American aborigines (black and red skin with feathers on the head and waist) and Australian aborigines (dark skin, naked body and bone products on the waist). The only drawback is that there is no record of Britain in the nautical chart. According to China lawyer Liu Gang, the collector of the map, he bought the map from a Shanghai businessman for 500 dollars in 200 1 year, and learned the historical importance and significance of the nautical chart by reading the above book 142 1: China Discovers the World.