ABSTRACT
An immense Chinese fleet moored off the eastern coast of Africa at the beginning of the fifteenth century, 90 years before the Europeans arrived. This was the geographic final destination of a series of impressive expeditions. When the new Ming emperor Yong Le ascended the throne in 1402, the Chinese empire was internally consolidated. He was therefore able to campaign against the threatening Mongols and to promote ocean expeditions to areas located to the south and east. By imperial decree, an enormous fleet of 300 ships was built, with a crew of up to 28,000 sailors. Some vessels were 120 meters long and 50 metres wide, the largest wooden ships up to that time. The first expedition departed in 1405, led by the Muslim eunuch Zheng He. Seven subsequent expeditions, the last in 1433, departed in the direction of the Indonesian archipelago, Champa, Java, Sumatra, Malacca, Ceylon and Calicut on the Indian peninsula. The Chinese also sailed via the Persian Gulf to the coasts of Africa, to an area near Somalia. A fleet consisted of an average of 60 ships with a combined crew of thousands. What were the motives for this unique series of ocean expeditions? A mixture of military and diplomatic considerations (along with prestige) played a determining role. The Chinese did not explore these territories with the aim of conquering them or of establishing permanent settlements. They probably wanted to establish a tribute relationship between the visited areas and the Chinese centre. The new dynasty probably sought expansion and reinforcement of its position in several new vassal states. Thanks to the expeditions, China engaged in trade and tribute relations with Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Champa, Siam and Malaysia. These countries sent ambassadors to the Ming court laden with gifts to declare their submission to the Son of Heaven. Those gifts did not have much economic value; they were mostly symbolic.
