China's Forgotten Master of The Seas | Zheng He | Absolute History
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- Опубліковано 2 чер 2024
- Born in 1371, Zheng He was captured at the age of 10 by Chinese troops, and castrated.
But in a remarkable change of fortune, he joined the household of Prince Zhu Di, son of the Emperor. The Prince was so impressed that when he ascended to the throne, he gave Zheng He command of the greatest armada the world has ever seen. Over thirty years, Zheng He led vast expeditions to India, the Middle East and Africa, covering 25,000 miles of ocean.
But within years of his death, Chinese officials destroyed all records of the treasure ship voyages, and China turned its back on the world.
Only now can the truth about Zheng He’s story be pieced together from the scraps of evidence that remain. Who was this extraordinary man who led an armada round the world eight decades before Columbus set sail for America? And what was the true purpose behind his voyages?
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Zheng He's flagship was three times the size of Magellan's? Let us never forget the remarkable story of how a eunuch amazed the world with his massive junk.
Michael Donahue Lol why massive junk...
@@fuhongfan7344 In the west junk is used both as a term for trash or a persons stuff. Look at that junk he has or that car or toy is a piece of junk.
Its also used to describe a male body part usually as a joke. In this case its a joke especially if you know what the Asian word for Junk is and the person who led the ships in question and the size.
In the west males tend to be obsessive of the size of that body part. size of his junk.
In Asia a Junk is a type of boat or ship.
The person who led the fleet was a eunuch a person who was castrated
The Treasure fleet which were likely a combination of junks had likely several types including the flag ships that likely were literal giants. Close to the size of modern medium sized ships and at the time were amazing vessels that surprised the known world.
Hence the joke. :P
Michael Donahue: Zheng He's largest ships were reported to be 127 meters long x 52 meters wide. The length is longer than 3 trees joined together. I don't think such a long and wide ship is able to survive stormy seas. It will be crushed by the waves sooner or later. Therefore Zheng He's massive fleet is a hoax; it never existed.
郑和下西洋乃是个夸大到千万倍的虚假宣传
www.360doc.com/content/17/0222/16/27339124_631156867.shtml
@@Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent : The whole Zheng He saga is messy junk. The number of ships varied a lot. 100+, 200+, 300+, 1456, and the largest is 1600. How could this be a true history? In Chinese classical writings, Zheng was always referred to as a eunuch while in modern English writings Zheng was referred to as a naval admiral. A eunuch was a household servant. How could such a position rise up to a naval admiral?
@@legpol The size of the Main Treasure fleet ships. not the main fleet has always been in question. The 1000 footer versions I have always believed as utter bullshit to make them sound more impressive nothing made would wood would survive even in calm water unless it was a barge.. . However I do believe that the largest of them might have been at max 400 feet maybe a little less but these would have been the primary flagships and likely would have been reinforced something fierce with multiple watertight compartments and similar, and pumps.. Now people always complain that no one could build wooden ships to that scale but the Wyoming which was a schooner created in the 1909 is proof that it could be done. The problem with the schooner was that she had a tendency to flex in heavy seas, well people complained it was because she was made of wood and thus proof that ships of that scale could not be created to be sea worthy. I must note that she was 50ft wide meaning she was probably very skinny for a ship her size and material thus making her weak structurally. The Chinese Junks in comparison from designs and descriptions appears to have always been wide bodied and the sizes of the Treasure fleets if they were comparable to the size of the Wyoming likely would have also been wide bodied much like the Spanish Galleons centuries later. I think a wide bodied size of 100-120 feet would fix the structural flexing issue. For the size of the actual fleet I never believed it was a 1000 or more. Its very likely this was for dramatic effect and probably when the ships were leaving or entering port and smaller ships gathered around it like how modern smaller ships does today with large vessels of some fame entering harbors. I would say the max amount of the fleet would be in the low 200s a few dozen being the primary treasure ships, the rest being military craft, supply craft, and scouts or exploration vessels and perhaps sea worthy trading ships that could enter smaller ports of call. This would be reasonable for a fleet of this size that was meant to wave the flag, put on a show and literally be the symbol of Chinese might. .
Now as for the Admiral yes he was a eunuch . However Eunuchs were treated very differently then how they were used in Europe. In Europe being Eunuch was a punishment or similar or a forced conscription and yes they did primarily household chores and tended to matters similar to servants primarily it was to insure that women in the household were not raped or bred with a person who wasn't royalty or similar. . In Islamic culture this practice was a bit different Eunuchs were used both as servants, but also in minor political and governing roles according to the needs of the government. Many became soldiers. However they were very much slaves and owned nothing at least depending where they were enslaved to although in Islamic society not all slaves were equal some were more equal than others.
In China the practice was primarily used for the Chinese Court primarily to insure that a heir to the Throne was of pure blood and for the safety of the royalty and regular servants of the court. Eunuchs were gathered either by force, volunteered, or chosen at a young age fun fact if you choose to work in the imperial court and you were single or married and had children or similar you could pay for a operation to become a eunuch. Europe and the Middle east wasn't too picky on age but China preferred younger children to be Eunuchs due to better adapting to the situation and a child can be more loyal than a adult. A Chinese Eunach duty was for the rest of his life was to the court. Some did servant roles, others were guards for women of the court. Some were legit guards, soldiers, cooks, dealed in management of the palace, many were teachers, artist, worked in entertainment and most important of all some had literal control of financial and political of the government everyday operations. Unlike in Europe and Islam Eunuchs in China were allowed to marry and adopt children, they were paid and they were able to own property and similar. Some Eunuchs had legitimate power. Eunuchs in China were not slaves in the traditional sense. Now according to the history. A Chinese Emperor was a friend to Zheng meaning that when Zheng was taken he likely was schooled in the Imperial court and likely was taught next to the Prince who became friends with him. Naturally being a favorite of the heir to the throne improves your lot in life being a son of a formally living mogul administrator of a town likely also helped.. Zheng was given the title of Admiral by the Emperor but I believe it had more to do with the fact that besides being a close friend to the soon to be Emperor Zheng became a soldier and fought along side the prince. right up to the overthrow of the previous emperor meaning Zheng had military experience, leadership skills, and how to function a army or military campaign. Not to mention anything else he was taught. This is not unusual. In Korea a the creator of the turtle ships Admiral Yi started his military career as soldier for the army not navy.
Yeah Eunuchs didn't get to have children in ancient China but they at least were able to have a life and legacy. This is why study of other cultures and study of world history and anthropology is important. We cannot live in a world where we have to accept the one world view of one group of people.
Before Europe took over as the dominant group. There was more communication between the majority of nations across Africa, and Asia when Europe took over much of that information was lost due to both political and economic expansion but also religious and racial reasons. Much of the world that was forgotten was because nations of Europe declared themselves with the backing of a cannon as the dominant countries and cultures and thus tried to erase the legacy of others. In the modern world its our duty to uncover the truth of those nations who's histories are long forgotten or glossed over. The Treasure fleet is a perfect example of this. As well as the cultures of the Native American's across the America's and the ancient empires that traded with China.
I relish history and thoroughly immersed myself in this fascinating video. Thank you so much.
I like history to. Just without a commercial every 5 to 7 minutes. Left early.
This was a great Saturday afternoon watch. Thank you!
Thanks !
Europeans gained a lot of fortune from their ocean traveling. Why China considered it as a huge expenses and stopped doing it? Didn’t they benefit from the trade as well?
According to what I learned, after Zheng He traveled the world, the emperor realized that the rest of the world has nothing China wants or needs. Basically, China already had everything, so why must they spend so much money traveling anyway? That was the mindset.
It was really expensive and the fire was considered a message from Heaven, saying this should be stopped. Not to mention his son had no interest in continuing his father's ambitions. He instead focused on internal reforms that did great improvements, although he was Emperor for only 1 year and 1 month before dying
The Chinese at the time believed they were self-sufficient. Which wasn't a lie. The Emperor at the time wanted to push Chinese influence into the known world to increase trade and knowledge and basically to showboat China's dominance. At this point in time much of the India trade at the sea routes were controlled by powerful empires. Each one as amazing as China. The idea that trade could be increased and influence was high on the Emperor's list. However conservatives in the Chinese government was against the idea of China pushing trade and influence in the world believing it wasn't worth the time to deal with barbarians and lesser empires and instead that china should isolate itself. This way of thinking was pushed as the Emperor that replaced the original one saw this way of thinking and as soon as they were able to disbanded the fleet, and erased it from history much to the delight of the conservatives. China would isolate itself and become stagnate instead of the superpower it was literally at the cusp of being and instead would eventually fall to Western Empires that were expansionist and ironically created the technology or refined the tech that China had created nearly hundreds of years earlier.
Basically to sum it up. China was ruined due to people not wanting to be progressive.
郑和下西洋乃是个夸大到千万倍的虚假宣传
www.360doc.com/content/17/0222/16/27339124_631156867.shtml
@@legpol 什么玩应儿你讨不讨厌
Sad he didn’t escape the castration. I know i should be caught up on that, but in the movies they always make it just in time to be spared . 😢😭
Deja, please not be saddened because the horror did not happen as described. Eunuchs had a long history of becoming very powerful when they could earn the trust of the royals. Castration was an act of loyalty to show they were not a threat when they could not pass their power to their descendants. Cheng He was one of many successful examples that he became very close with the king. So close that he could represent the king as an envoy in the foreign land. One man's meat is another man's poison. Sometimes, to lose is to gain. There was no lack of people who volunteered to be an eunuch in the old days.
Im say this sometime ago, I sat in Folsom prison Reading and he was definitely in books before
before the computer systems, as a earlier explorer of the western side of America written as great admiral of the emperor of the ming dynasty there family ruled China for 100 years and destroyed all documentations as I sat in Folsom prison in California. Also built by the Chinese theres a cemetery inside called Chinas hill don’t underestimate the power of this as me in Mexico reading facts also came across Chinese monks early explorers around 202 ec
Left their landmark of arrival Muslim Zheng he ,Asians did build a temple land mark in Mexico
Also fact, example, aloe vera lotion, or plants, natural inhabitant of Mexico they took back non-native plants of China that are still there as proof that the settlement did come to the western world transferring good soil on their ships they would travel 200 to 300 vessels at a time as big as 2 or 3 football fields they were small cities and villages farms. Animals livestock soil from America was tied to China. Noted the great wall of china was completed. Because of Zheng He was so obsession to finish it in his lifetime the monks were piece full lived in Mexico for at least 25 years before returning do not blame them for the native tribes. Believe that they were a boarding peace maybe a ride to heaven that’s why there’s not burial a sites of fighting among Mayans or Incas. They all disappeared. I believe they were deceived aborted without a fight slaves to the Great Wall of China crossing the ocean, perhaps god named it the Indian Ocean to remember the NDNz
In fact Africa Muslims, morocco example ruled Portugal, Spain, Italy for 800 years the timing of it ending was around the same time the new slave market the native trade, western world was now developed as far as the story of American slaves, in America, they entered through the East Coast more slaves the West Coast geniuses had already been hear and ming dynasty cover their tracks dead people don’t talk Xheng he died with most of the people and prof cortes, the Spaniards defeated them I believe that’s why the Aztecs were full of protection, and was not going to encounter the same mistake. Cortes came to help provide protection and fight at the same time might not been correct, about enforced Christianity. On them no worries thank you for you response much kindness and love
Nothing lasts forever .
Marvelous account of tge explorer of North East. Hidden cleverness behind chinese business practices. Mire over the Zaraf tge dragon.
This makes homework
My desire for maritime people everywhere to succeed in trading with all like zhengh he.
The size of the ships is likely correct. However, the number of ships is highly doubtful for technical reasons of logistics.
Norman Braslow: You have missed a third detail, the time taken to build the ships. According to Chinese literature published on the net, the ancient Chinese only took less than 3 years to have built hundreds of ships, or 317 ships to be specific. This means, the ancient Chinese were capable to build one huge ship in a few days, or 3 days. This capability was definitely supernatural.
And another supernatural capability was given to the sail ships. According to Chinese literature, the 317 sail ships were able to operate in the river of Yangtze.
If you don't believe such supernatural capabilities, what will happen to Zheng He's 7 voyages?
Leg Pol I must correct my earlier post. There is no way the ships were as long as 420 feet. The biggest wooden ship ever made was the Wyoming, a 450 foot schooner. She had to have lots of iron bracing, which was not known in China. Moreover, the Wyoming was a disaster in that she was far too flexible and was not satisfactory. Without the iron bracing, an all wooden ship that long as the Chinese supposedly were would have quickly worked itself to death and fallen apart. No way they would last on any long voyage. Thus, the length of the Chinese ships is not believable. Materials always limit the application of technology. This does not mean smaller ships did not make the voyages, just the length was not only that long.
@@normanbraslow7902：Very good. You actually meant Zheng He did have a fleet of smaller-size ships and did go on his 7 voyages. But you could not convince Zheng He's historians who had publicized the sizes to all the world. Their publicized sizes are much longer than your 420 or 450 feet. Their publicized sizes are almost 600 feet. What would you do?
Another supernatural capability was the operation in rivers. Zheng He's fleet was reported to have gone back to Nanjing from the sea, an up-river journey against water current. Can a fleet of smaller and shorter ships perform such a supernatural event?
If not, then would you agree to my belief? My belief is: Zheng He's voyages never happened.
Leg Pol Reports of ships 600 feet seem totally out of the question to me. One of my Chinese law professors said, repeatedly, one simply cannot put a whole lot of faith in any numbers coming out of China, in ancient times and well as currently. Back then, it was to bolster the glory of the Middle Kingdom. Now, it is propaganda coming out of the CCP. Such as the size of the Mongol Hordes of one of my favorites, Genghis Khan. Or stories of his brutality. Or of his sexual proclivity.
As far as the voyages never happening, I'd have to do more detailed study. Regarding the sheer numbers of ships claimed by the advocates of He's I have significant doubts. Just think for a moment, The logistics in terms of food, water, and ships supplies would have been exceedingly difficult for an armada of that size. There is a saying in military science, amateurs discuss tactics and strategy, where as professional military people discuss logistics. All the histories of the voyages seem to ignore or minimize that detail. Recall Napoleon's dicta that an army marches on its stomach, and the immense problems faced by the British Royal Navy in supplying the ships on blockade duty in the Napoleonic Wars. My tentative conclusion is that some voyages may have taken place, but of smaller numbers and sizes of ships, and not nearly as far reaching. I'll have to do a bit off research on He's navigational instruments and techniques, but I doubt very much he had much. Any ideas?
@@normanbraslow7902 : Yes, I do have a lot to say about the logistics. You were hitting the problem right on the nail's head. The Chinese propaganda does talk about logistics. First, each voyage lasted about 2 years, and included about 27,670 personnel. Therefore some ships were specially built and called "food" ships to carry various food stuff to keep the personnel alive. Some ships were called "water" ships carrying fresh water for both men and animals. By animals, they were horses for riding, and cows, pigs, chickens and ducks for meet because there were no frizzers in ancient China. Of course these various animals needed their own food. You see, Norman, since different foods were carried in different ships, the food needed by one ship would have to be passed from the food ship to the needing ship. Mister, how was the food passed between 317 ships was not talked about in the Chinese propaganda, which was silent as you had pointed out. If you learned the Zheng He voyages from your professor, you have a right to ask him about this logistics problem.
Before 13th Century, the Portuguese started concurring Africa and eventually came to East Africa, Ancient China and Arabic already dominated the ocean that their ships can reach including East Africa.... that's why Magellan could get the tracer of India from people in East Africa coast.
In fact the Mediterranean had been well aware of China and India as they've been trading for centuries... over the land and sea.
Over the years, Arabic aimed for spices and porcelain that needed in Mediterranean Sea and Europe Continents while China is the Exporters or the middleman due to large coverage of Overseas Chinese all over that region...
Very few people know Arabic Merchants have great influence in China during Song and Yuen dynasty, they were assigned with official positions and their own forces units
But Ming dynasty's downgrade Arabic may had jeopardised the trade relationship....Thus no positive feedbacks after 7 voyages performed by Cheng Hu
With the super power of the oversea Chinese superseded by the Western powers. The Arabic and Chinese have to step down from the stage of Sea transportation.
A ver si actualizamos los subtítulos y ponemos bien los nombres de otros idiomas eh
Absolute History, 你们介绍郑和访问各国，应该告诉我们，他在何处会见各国国王。因为，郑和去时坐船。他先到海边。而各国中央政府却在内陆某处。二者相隔几十几百甚至千里。双方怎样会面？是郑和下船走去首都？抑或是各国国王走路来海边相会？
I agree Zheng He not only enter to 30 different lands just to meet the traders at the sea without meeting the Central authority and permission of tha individual lands he Visited, Which was suppose to be the main goal of Chinese Emperors to have good relations with other neighbouring Rulers. Very unsophisticated narration and documentary.
@@abdullahalrai : Your agreement implied that you had read the document given to Zheng He by the Chinese emperor, directing him whom to meet and whom not to meet. If so, please share a few sentences with us. I enjoy reading classical Chinese writings.
@@abdullahalrai : 恐怕你没读过甚么文件。你也是猜想。其他的人也猜想。凭人的猜想而写成的郑和传，怎会是真历史？
Had the Chinese of those years had been in Venice?
Christos patsalides: Some Chinese themselves do not believe the Zheng He story to be history. They believe it is a novelist fiction. Then the fiction was refurbished by historians to look like history.
No...
Number one the country y'all called Africa( Libya )didn't dress like that. They dress like everybody else did. .Stop making everybody you think is Africa dress lake bush people. This is from a Cherokee from South Carolina absolutely history my butt.
Well this was interesting look into Zheng He.
Basically China has a history of book burning is one of the things I learned from this video.
tisted mentality 🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧😪😋😪😪😪😋😃😃😃😃😃😃😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😃😃😃😀😀
I wouldn't say China is the only one with history of book burning - as far as I'm concerned, the western world has burned books for as long as we've had them as well ;)
Conservative members of the Emperors court were the ones that encouraged it to erase the existence of the treasure fleet believing that China did not need to push its influence and power to the known world as they felt that China had no need to trade or push its influence with lesser kingdoms and people. Once the conservatives gained power they destroyed the fleet, erased the books and tried to kill the history of the fleet so as to not allow it to influence future leaders and people into opening china to the world.
Basically it teaches why not being progressive gets you screwed over in the end. China literally was at the cusp of becoming a super power and a bunch of conservatives didn't like that.
@@Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent :
Some Chinese themselves do not believe the Zheng He story to be true. One revolted and published an article to dispose of the lie.
郑和下西洋乃是个夸大到千万倍的虚假宣传
www.360doc.com/content/17/0222/16/27339124_631156867.shtml
Reminds me of the Crusaders
The nutless hero.
Mr. Absolute History, since Zheng He was reported to have visited more than 2 dozen countries 7 times, you as a historian should have more words about his visits than about his personal upbringing. Since Zheng went to countries with hundreds of huge ships and tens of thousands of troops, stories of his encounters with local people and local governments must constitute 90% of your narrations. However, the opposite was true, only less than 1% of your narration was about Zheng's visits abroad. The un-balanced reporting might mean that Zheng He never went anywhere, let alone going there with hundreds of huge warships and tens of thousands of soldiers.
Why dont you provide concrete source and reports instead of yapping your mouth its always better to back upp your false claims with source then just some words from a random person
THE GREAT ASIAN RACE
The Zheng He's voyages might mean the Chinese is not a great race in Asia. I have shown that the Zheng He voyages is a novel, not a history.
I'm gonna get disappeared just for watching this. lol
If the CCP is listening, i was forced to watch it.