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Treasure voyages

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The fleet was heavily militarized and carried great amounts of treasures, which served to project Chinese power and wealth to the known world. They brought back many foreign ambassadors whose kings and rulers were willing to declare themselves tributaries of China. During the course of the voyages, the fleet destroyed Chen Zuyi's pirate fleet at Palembang, conquered the Sinhalese Kotte kingdom of King Alekeshvara, and defeated the forces of the Semudera pretender Sekandar in northern Sumatra. The Chinese maritime exploits had brought many foreign countries into the nation's tributary system and sphere of influence through both military and political supremacy, thus incorporating the states into the greater Chinese world order under Ming suzerainty.

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鄭和下西洋

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Model of a treasure ship

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92.0

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[Voyages of] Zheng He down the Western Ocean

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zhangchi

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right

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center left

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郑和下西洋

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350

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Treasure voyages

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Zheng He's Treasure Ship 1.jpg

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Zhèng Hé Xià Xīyáng

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— Admiral Zheng He and his associates — Yang Rong about the conflict in Ceylon

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Thus the august emperor spared their lives, And they humbly kowtowed, making crude sounds These insignificant worms, deserving to die ten thousand times over, trembling in fear... Their women, children, families and retainers, leaving not one, Cleaning out in a single sweep those noxious pests, as if winnowing chaff from grain... The power of the goddess, having indeed been manifested in previous times, has been abundantly revealed in the present generation. In the midst of the rushing waters it happened that, when there was a hurricane, suddenly a divine lantern was seen shining at the masthead, and as soon as that miraculous light appeared the danger was appeased, so that even in the peril of capsizing one felt reassured and that there was no cause for fear. Straight-away, their dens and hideouts we ravaged, Did not even merit the punishment of Heaven. We have traversed more than one hundred thousand li of immense water spaces, and have beheld in the ocean huge waves like mountains rising sky-high. We have set eyes on barbarian regions far away hidden in a blue transparency of light vapours, while our sails, loftily unfurled like clouds, day and night continued their course with starry speed, breasting the savage waves as if we were treading a public thoroughfare. Bringing back to our august capital, And made captive that entire country, Praising the sage-like virtue of the imperial Ming ruler.

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The fleet was heavily militarized and carried great amounts of treasures, which served to project Chinese power and wealth to the known world. They brought back many foreign ambassadors whose kings and rulers were willing to declare themselves tributaries of China. During the course of the voyages, the fleet destroyed Chen Zuyi's pirate fleet at Palembang, conquered the Sinhalese Kotte kingdom of King Alekeshvara, and defeated the forces of the Semudera pretender Sekandar in northern Sumatra. The Chinese maritime exploits had brought many foreign countries into the nation's tributary system and sphere of influence through both military and political supremacy, thus incorporating the states into the greater Chinese world order under Ming suzerainty. The treasure voyages were commanded and overseen by the eunuch establishment whose political influence were heavily dependent on imperial favor. However, within Ming China's imperial state system, the civil government were the primary political opponents of the eunuchs and the opposing faction against the expeditions. Around the end of the maritime voyages, they gained the upperhand within the state bureaucracy, while the eunuchs gradually fell out of favor after the death of the Yongle Emperor. Over the course of the maritime voyages of the early 15th century, Ming China had become the pre-eminent naval power by projecting its sea-power over the East. Nevertheless, there is still much debate to this day about the actual purpose of the voyages, the size of the ships, the magnitude of the fleet, the routes taken, the nautical charts employed, the countries visited, and the cargo carried.