Where are the footprints of ocean explorers?

Zheng He

More than 2000 years ago, the ocean was still an unknown world for human beings, when a Greek scholar named Hegas drew a map of the world. The center of this map is Greece, and Greece is surrounded by a sea of Wang Yang. At the intersection of the sea and the sky, Hegas wrote several big characters: "Stop here and don't move forward". In Hegast's mind, crossing the sea is the end of hell. Although Hegast described the ocean as so horrible, many navigators crossed the "hell" at the turn of the sea and sky and sailed into the deep sea. In an era when knowledge of geography, astronomy and meteorology is scarce and navigation technology is very backward, those navigators can be called warriors.

In the history of human navigation, Zheng He is an outstanding pioneer. He made immortal contributions and was the first person in the world to discover the new continent.

Zheng he's voyages

Zheng He, formerly known as Ma Wenhe, was born in a noble family in Yunnan Province, China. Zheng He experienced a turbulent childhood and was captured by the Ming army in a war. Zheng He was smart, studious and burly, and later became a eunuch, also known as Sambo eunuch. Zheng He was born in an Islamic family, was familiar with Islam, believed in Buddhism, and was the personal bodyguard of Emperor Daming, so he was the best candidate to represent the Ming Dynasty in western countries at that time. At this time, the national strength of the Ming Dynasty was strong, and a powerful sailing fleet came into being, which interpreted an unprecedented wonderful story of Zheng He's seven voyages to the West. For more than 20 years, Zheng He led the world's largest fleet to 36 countries, including Vietnam, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Thailand and South Africa, with a voyage of 50,000 miles. From 1405 to 1433, Zheng He drew nautical charts, recording ports, distances, topography and marine meteorology, which wrote a glorious chapter in China's maritime history.

Zheng He set sail for the first time in 1405, 87 years earlier than Columbus and 1 14 years earlier than Magellan. The fleet led by Zheng He's voyage to the West is incomparable to westerners. Zheng He's fleet consists of 62 large ships, plus more than 200 medium-sized boats, of which the largest is captain125.65m, width 50.94m, and displacement14,800t, which is the largest ship in the world at that time and the first 10,000t ship in the world. Zheng He's fleet has more than 27,000 people, which is unprecedented in scale. A few years later, the ships of Columbus and Magellan had a maximum load of only 120 tons. Magellan's fleet left the Spanish port with only 265 people. 1492, Columbus's fleet had only three ships and only 87 crew members.

Restoration model of Zheng He's fleet sailboat

/kloc-in the first 30 years of the 0/5th century, the east and west at both ends of the Eurasian continent entered the sea almost simultaneously. The East is represented by Zheng He's voyage to the West, and the West is represented by Prince Henry of Portugal's expedition along the west coast of Africa. The navigation activities in the east and west mark the beginning of the stage of human activities from the mainland to the ocean. /kloc-At the beginning of the 0/5th century, the commodity economy of western European countries developed rapidly, and the emerging capitalism was eager to accumulate capital, which was the main driving force of West Airlines. Western countries encourage and support maritime exploration to find gold and explore overseas colonies. This kind of voyage had a clear predatory purpose from the beginning.

At that time, China had entered the late feudal society and was in the "Yongle Prosperity" in the early Ming Dynasty. Textile industry, porcelain industry, mining industry, smelting industry and shipbuilding industry flourished. In order to strive for a long-term and stable peace situation, Judy in Ming Taizu has adopted the policy of opening to the outside world and stabilizing the surrounding areas. Zheng He's voyage to the Western Seas was an important measure of foreign policy at that time, mainly due to political considerations. Before Zheng He's voyage to the West, the international environment around China was not stable enough, and there was an atmosphere of mutual suspicion and competition among Southeast Asian countries. At that time, some countries in Southeast Asia expanded abroad and bullied neighboring countries. Others killed envoys of the Ming Dynasty and intercepted missions visiting China. At the same time, pirates were once rampant, and the main maritime traffic routes were not guaranteed. These unstable factors directly affected the security of southern China and the international image of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, Judy adopted a peaceful foreign policy of "China at home, four foreigners abroad, equal treatment and peace".

At that time, Zheng He's fleet was a powerful "task force" at sea in the world. This "special mixed fleet" is organized and commanded in a unified way according to the needs of maritime navigation and combat. Many foreign scholars call Zheng He "the commander of the navy" or "the commander of the navy". Judging from the number of people, the number of Zheng He's voyages to the West is more than 27,000. In terms of combat strength, the sailors and amphibious units in the fleet are equivalent to the current naval forces. Dr Joseph Needham of Britain, who specializes in the history of ancient science and technology in China, believes that the navy of any European country in the same period was inferior to that of China in the Ming Dynasty.

Although the fleet led by Zheng He is a huge naval fleet, its purpose is to spread friendship and achieve peace. Zheng He led a fleet to the Western Ocean to mediate and ease conflicts among countries, calm conflicts, eliminate barriers, deter and crack down on pirates, and ensure maritime safety by various means. Dr. Needham once commented that China navigators in the East are calm, docile and generous, and never threaten the survival of others; They are armed to the teeth, but they never conquer foreigners or build forts.

Zhenghe treasure ship

Zheng He's voyages to the West spread the civilization of the Chinese nation and promoted the development of China culture. Zheng He's fleet has reached Southeast Asia, West Asia and East Africa, with 56 important routes. At that time, some countries and regions in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa were relatively backward and longed for Chinese civilization. The contents of Zheng He's voyage to the West to spread Chinese civilization mainly include Chinese etiquette, Confucianism, calendar, weights and measures system, agricultural technology, manufacturing technology, architectural carving technology, medical technology, navigation and shipbuilding technology. Official trade is also an important part of Zheng He's voyage to the West. Zheng He's fleet was full of gifts, as well as China's copper coins, silk, porcelain and ironware. Most of them are barter, and the most influential is the high-five pricing method. In Guri, India, after the arrival of China's fleet, the goods were taken to trading places, and the two sides negotiated the price under the auspices of officials. After the talks, they high-fived each other to show that they had reached an agreement, and they would never break their word. This friendly trade model has been circulated as a beautiful talk in the local area.

In addition, during Zheng He's voyage to the West, pirates were eliminated, and some shipping routes were opened, and businessmen from various countries spontaneously carried out non-governmental trade. China mainly exports porcelain, silk, tea, lacquerware, metal products and copper coins in exchange for jewelry, spices, medicinal materials and rare animals. At that time, China imported 50 kilograms of peppers from overseas, sold them locally at 1 taels of silver, and then sold them back to China at the price of 20 taels of silver. The profits were very rich. According to statistics, during the 22 years of Ming Chengzu's rule, envoys from Asian and African countries related to Zheng He's voyages to the West visited China * * * 3 times18 times, with an average of 15 times a year. Seven kings of Brunei, Malaga, Sulu and Gumala led delegations successively, and at most 18 national missions came to China at the same time. During the visit, three kings died in China, and their wills were entrusted to China. They were all buried in accordance with the treatment of "kings" in the Ming Dynasty.

Zheng He's fleet carried out the national policy of "from thick to thin" along the Maritime Silk Road, brought oriental culture to Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe, and built a bridge of friendship between East and West in cultural, political, artistic and religious exchanges.

In his later years, Zheng He built two monuments for later generations to see. These two monuments, one in Taicang County, Jiangsu Province, and the other in Changle County, Fujian Province, both describe the significance and experience of the seven voyages to the West. Zheng He died in India on his seventh voyage to the West. However, Zheng He's name is immortal and will go down in history forever. After 600 years, his descendants are still extremely proud of his immortal achievements.

In the long history of hundreds of years, westerners know little about Zheng He. 1904, Liang Qichao first introduced Zheng He to the world. 600 years after Zheng He's voyage to the West, an old man named menzies in England wrote a masterpiece, 142 1 China Discovered the World, which proved that Zheng He was the first person to discover the new continent, and since then, Zheng He's name has spread all over the world.

In order to commemorate this great navigator, the largest stone statue of Zheng He at home and abroad was built in Zhenghe Square in Changle, at the mouth of Minjiang River. The total height of the statue is 14.05 meters, and the base is 7 meters wide and 2.8 meters high, which means that Zheng He has made seven voyages to the Western Ocean in the 28 years since 1405.

July 1 2005 is the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's voyage to the West. Starting from this year, July 1 1 has become China's "Sailing Day". Chronology of Zheng He 137 1 (Xinhai in the fourth year of Hongwu), a native of Baoxiangshan and Daicun in Kunyang Prefecture (now Jinning County), Yunnan Province. 1382 (Ren Xu in the 15th year of Hongwu), when the Ming army invaded Yunnan, 1 1. Father Maha passed away. Captured into Ming camp, castrated. 1390 (Geng Wu in the 23rd year of Hongwu) 19 years old, Judy, the prince of Yan, took a fancy to him and was elected to the office of Yan Wangfu. 1404 years old (the second year of Yongle), at the age of 33, he was named "Zheng" because of his outstanding military achievements, and was renamed Zheng He from then on, and was promoted to be the eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 1405 at the age of 34, Wang Jinghong led 27,800 people to the Western Ocean for the first time. Shortly after returning to China at the age of 36, 1407 (Ding Hai in the fifth year of Yongle) and Wang Jinghong and Hou Xian led the fleet to the Western Ocean for the second time. 1409 (ugly in the seventh year of Yongle) is 38 years old. In September, he went to the Western Ocean for the third time with Wang Jinghong and Fei Xin. 14 13 (11th year of Yongle) Ma Huan and others, aged 42, led the fleet to the western ocean for the fourth time. 14 17 (Ding You in the 15th year of Yongle) led his fleet to the Western Ocean for the fifth time at the age of 46. 142 1 year (the 19th year of Yongle), 50-year-old Wang Jinghong and Ma Huan led their fleet to the Western Ocean for the sixth time. 143 1 year (Xinhai in the sixth year of Xuande), 60-year-old Zheng He, Wang Jinghong, Ma Huan, Fei Xin and Gong Zhen led a fleet of 27,550 people to the Western Ocean for the seventh time. 1433 (the eighth year of Xuande), 62 years old, on his way home, died of overwork in Guri (now Kallikat). In July, his fleet returned to China, and Xuanzong held a funeral for him at the southern foot of Niushou Mountain.

Columbus and Magellan

Until15th century, Columbus still firmly believed in the concept that "the earth is round". He is sure that if he keeps going west, he will be able to go east. At that time, the gold, spices, ivory and silk in the East made westerners salivate. Columbus was both an adventurer and a predator. No one can explain the purpose of Columbus' westward journey more clearly than himself. He said, "Gold is a wonderful thing! Whoever owns gold has everything he needs. Through gold, people can even let their souls enter heaven. "

Columbus

1On August 3, 492, nominally Columbus led the fleet to bid farewell to Spain and sail west. Unfortunately, however, this time Columbus did not sail around the world, nor did he reach the East, but only arrived in America. Due to the lack of human geographical knowledge at that time, Columbus mistook the Indians of America for the Indians of the East.

For hundreds of years, people have always thought that Columbus was the son of a small business owner in Genoa, Spain, but in recent years, some American scholars have raised objections to this. These scholars have made an in-depth study of the remains and life of Columbus. Through the DNA identification of Columbus' body, it is confirmed that Columbus is not Spanish; After a lot of investigation, it was found that Columbus was not the son of a small business owner, but was born in the family of a big businessman.

Magellan

1565438+On September 20th, 2009, a fleet of five ships bid farewell to the Spanish port of San Tarouca and set sail. The general commander of this fleet is the explorer Magellan. 1480, Magellan was born into a noble family. When he was young, he took part in the war in India as a junior officer, so he was eager to open up a route to India. His idea was supported by the king of Spain, so he set up a sailing team and began to sail around the world. Magellan's fleet has five ships and 265 people. 1 year later, Magellan discovered a tortuous strait at the southern tip of South America, and sailed to the Pacific Ocean through this strait, which is now strait of magellan. During the long voyage, Magellan's crew fell into chaos, and the fastest ship disappeared. The biggest ship also returned to Spain with a lot of food. However, Magellan did not lose heart. He led three ships on their voyage. The fleet overcame disease, thirst and hunger, and finally sailed into the Pacific Ocean and landed in the Philippines. However, Magellan's fleet fought fiercely with the locals, and Magellan was killed in the battle. Since then, the fleet has lost its commander. But the rest of Magellan continued westward, and the survivors sailed the last boat across the Indian Ocean, bypassing the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa and returning to Spain. This suffering fleet started with 265 people, and after three years, only 18 people remained. However, Magellan's voyage proved beyond dispute that the earth is round.

Kevin menzies.

Kevin menzies, the author of the best-selling book 142 1 China Discovers the World, was born in China in 1937. If you want to know what kind of person menzies is, you'd better listen to his self-introduction.

The works of Kevin menzies.

"After I was born, my father hired a nanny for me from China. I once lived with her for eight years, and that time was my most precious memory. I studied Chinese with her and listened to her tell some stories about China.

"When I was working in the Royal Navy, I worked as a navigation officer on destroyers and cruisers, a combat officer on strategic missile nuclear submarines, and later as a coxswain on conventional submarines. Without this naval training and practice, I could not have the desire and foundation to study Zheng He's maritime history. Especially during the Cold War (the confrontation between the United States and the former Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1990s), when we were fighting in the north, I learned to collect information and materials in various ways to locate submarines and ships of the former Soviet Union. None of the information at that time was positive, so we should constantly look for and deny it, which is very similar to looking for Zheng He's sailing route and experience, and it helps me a lot.

Kevin menzies, author of 142 1 China Discovers the World.

"I dedicate my book to my wife Marcella, who has been with me all my life and has been to all the places in the world related to this book. The most satisfying thing in my life is seeing my wife, and the most dissatisfied thing is not seeing her earlier. We have a pair of lovely daughters, Betty and Mary. One of them works in a bank, and the other teaches in a university in Canada. I love them very much. When they were still with us, my day was probably like this: I got up at 5 am and woke up my wife at 6: 30. She had to go to work at 7: 30, and we all worked all day. In summer, she goes home at about 6 pm. We live in the center of London, and a small river flows by my house. My wife and I often go for a walk by the river, and the night comes quietly and flows quietly. My daughter will call us during dinner, and the meal will be ready when we get home.

"I'm not a smart person, so I need to work hard. I work about 16 hours every day. My belief is that one should be self-respecting, be honest, believe in one's own strength and not be influenced by others' words and deeds. "

After retirement, menzies has been studying the history of navigation at his home in Ellington, north London.

From 65438 to 0990, menzies and his wife went to China to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary. This trip changed menzies's life and his view of China.

When visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing, he couldn't help being impressed by this beautiful and historic ancient city. When the tour guide told him that the Forbidden City was built in 142 1, he was very surprised when the huge fleet sent by Ming Chengzu was traveling around the world. After returning to England, he began to do textual research and research in this field, and his interest became increasingly strong.

Since then, menzies has discovered an ancient map of Zhang Zhengui in the United States. According to research, this map was drawn by China people. According to his research, Zheng He's fleet sailed across America in 142 1, more than 70 years earlier than the Italian navigator Columbus who discovered the new American continent in 1492.

Kevin menzies, author of 142 1 China Discovers the World.

In the research of 10 years, menzies has been to 120 countries and regions in the world, visited more than 900 museums and libraries, and visited every important port in the late Middle Ages. With the deepening of research, he was more and more shocked by the glory of China, an ancient oriental country, and its incredible advanced civilization. In 2002, 142 1 China discovered the world (142 1 the year China discovered the world) was published in Britain. This book tells the adventures of Zheng He, an ancient China navigator. He sailed around the world for decades before Columbus discovered America, visiting North America, the Australian mainland and the North and South poles. This book caused a sensation in the world immediately after its publication.

Menzies is not a professional historian, but an "amateur historian" in his own words. This amateur historian became famous in Britain in recent years because he announced a jaw-dropping conclusion: China discovered both North America and Australia. If menzies's judgment is confirmed, the history of Columbus' discovery of the New World will be rewritten.