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Plate 12.2 View of the Daoist
temple complex at Mount Wudang,
Hubei province

Plate 12.3 View of Changling 長陵,
the Mausoleum of the Yongle
emperor and Empress Xu. Part of
the Ming imperial tombs on the
outskirts of Beijing

it difficult for the voyages to continue. Specifically, there would have been two or three times the revenue of the state,
were three main reasons for the suspension of the voyages which the Ming government tried to manage through the
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in 1421, which will be discussed below. conscription of free labour and resources. Although this
Firstly, the Ming dynasty under the Yongle emperor analysis is not entirely precise, the point it makes is
faced an over-depletion of its ‘comprehensive state power’ convincing.
(zonghe guoli 綜合國力). Projects of unprecedented scale Under these circumstances, some major activities during
involving millions of people took place during the Yongle the Yongle reign had to be suspended or stopped entirely
reign, including military campaigns to the north and south since they were too costly and the resources that they
of the empire, the building of a new capital (Pl. 12.1) and consumed could not be replenished in time. For example,
imperial mausoleum, construction of a large temple complex the construction of the Yongle emperor’s mausoleum,
at Mount Wudang 武當山 (Pl. 12.2), and the restoration of Changling 長陵 (Pl. 12.3), was intermittent because of the
the Grand Canal. These projects took place almost demands of building the new capital in Beijing. As a result of
concurrently, all requiring enormous investment of labour, the frequent campaigns in the north of China, the large-
material resources and finances, which significantly scale military operations against Annam could not be
depleted the strength of the Ming state. It has been sustained, and only a small number of soldiers were left to
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estimated that the cost of all of these projects combined defend a portion of the fortresses. Similarly, it was difficult

The Gradual Termination of the Early Ming Voyages to the ‘Western Ocean’ and its Causes | 107