Week Two
Outline Lecture Four—Expeditions in the Ming Dynasty
Key Point:
1) The origin and purpose of the Ming Treasure Fleet
2) Geopolitical impact of the Ming assertion and withdrawal of maritime power
I) The Mongol Expansionist Legacy for the Ming Dynasty
a) Mongol expansionist policy
i) In southeast Asia (Vietnam, Java, Sumatra)
ii) The ill-fated naval invasion of Japan in 1281
iii) Collapse of Yuan Dynasty beginning in 1320s
b) Continuation of expansion under Ming Emperor Yongle (1402-1424)
i) “Out and out militarist”
ii) Assertion of maritime power in Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean
c) The Treasure Fleets of the Ming
i) Size of the fleet
ii) Size of the largest “Treasure Ships” Bao Chuan
II) The Legacy of Zheng He and the Treasure Fleet
a) Personal Background
i) Muslim of Arab and Mongol ancestry from Yunnan province
ii) Useful status as outsider—Muslim eunuch
b) The Purpose of the Treasure Fleets (1402-1435)
i) Extend Chinese maritime presence
(1) Military: “To cleanse and pacify the sea routes”
(2) Cultural: Maintain Ming’s symbolic status overseas as the “Middle Kingdom”
(3) Commercial: Demonstrate generosity and wealth of the Ming
(4) Political: Power-broker in regional politics
(a) Logic of tributary system
ii) Ming agenda as a “carrot and stick” approach
(1) Profound geopolitical impact throughout southeast Asia and Indian ocean
c) Extent of expeditions
i) Each expedition went progressively farther
ii) Gavin Menzies’s Theory
(1) 1421: The Year China Discovered America
d) Confucian Backlash
i) Death of Emperor Yongle in 1424
ii) Seventh and last expedition in 1435 during reign of Emperor Xuande
iii) The Destruction of a Legacy
iv) Economic Retrenchment in late Ming
e) Impact on World History Past and Present
i) Relevance for China’s foreign policy today