Page 345 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)

fig. 6. Courtyard facing the Gate of Great Harmony (Taihe Men) within the Imperial Palace, Beijing. Courtesy of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, People's
Republic of China, Beijing.

nized and oversaw but did not lead in person. The fourth voyage (1413-1415) comprised 63 Zheng He made his first calls along the coast of
He led the third voyage (1409-1411), whose ships and 28,560 men. In addition to visiting Africa, at Mogadishu and other points; despite
fleet numbered 48 large ships and carried many places along the way to Calicut and Sri the euphemistic descriptions in the official
30,000 troops. This expedition visited many of Lanka, this expedition continued to Hormuz on accounts, he appears to have required shows of
the same places as the first one but also went to the Persian Gulf. On his way back Zheng He, considerable force to gain entry at some places.
Sri Lanka, where Zheng set up a stone monu- under instructions from the Chinese court, Many ambassadors from the countries visited
ment inscribed in Tamil, Persian, and Chinese, arrested a usurper and restored the rightful accompanied the return voyage to Nanjing.
to commemorate the gifts sent by the emperor sultan of Semudera in northern Sumatra. On The sixth expedition (1421-1422), of 41
to the great Buddhist temple at Kandy. When their return to Nanjing the usurper was ships, again visited many of the same South and
violent fighting broke out between Zheng's executed. Southeast Asian courts, including Calicut and
forces and the king of a small Sinhalese king- The fifth expedition (1417-1419) was Sri Lanka, as well as Hormuz, Aden, and Africa.
dom in northern Sri Lanka, Zheng put down the designed primarily to escort seventeen rulers of It appears that Zheng He returned after less
fighting, captured the king and his family, and South Asian states home after their tribute- than a year, leaving most of his fleet, divided
brought them to China. There the Yongle bearing missions to the Chinese throne, then to into separate squadrons under other leadership,
emperor pardoned them and sent them home, present them with imperial gifts and to ensure to complete the itinerary on their own.
duly impressed. the future of good relations. On this voyage The seventh expedition (1431-1433) was

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