How massive was Zheng He's treasure fleet, and why did China abandon maritime exploration?
China once had the largest naval fleet in history - ships five times the size of Columbus's. Then, overnight, the emperor burned them all.
The answer
Between 1405 and 1433, Chinese Admiral Zheng He commanded seven epic voyages across the Indian Ocean with fleets of up to 317 ships and 27,000 crew. His largest "treasure ships" may have reached 120 meters in length - dwarfing Columbus's 1492 flagship, the Santa María, at just 19 meters. Zheng He visited over 30 countries, reaching Southeast Asia, India, the Persian Gulf, and the east coast of Africa. After the Yongle Emperor's death in 1424 and Zheng He's death in 1433, the Confucian bureaucracy gained power and declared overseas ventures wasteful. The Haijin edicts banned maritime trade; ships were destroyed and records burned. This inward turn is one of history's great what-ifs - had China continued, European colonialism might never have dominated the globe.
Source: National Geographic
- Zheng He
- Chinese exploration
- Ming dynasty
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