Emperor of the Seas
As Seen on Discovery HD Theater
Zheng He: China's Greatest Explorer, Conqueror, Diplomat and Trader
Between 1405 and 1433, the Ming government sponsored a series of seven naval expeditions led by Zheng He and the greatest armada the world had ever seen. Emperor Yongle designed them to establish a Chinese presence, impose imperial control over trade and impress foreign countries. With a many as 300 ships and 28,000 crewman, Zheng He's ships traveled to Southeast Asia, the Persian Gulf and as far as Africa, liberally dispensing gifts of Chinese porcelain and silk and in return receiving rich gifts from his hosts. Now, six centuries later, the truth about Zheng He's voyages are finally being told. Who is this extraordinary man who led seven voyages around the world eight decades before Columbus discovered America? And what was the true purpose of his voyages?
Member Reviews
Great historical fact - Emperor
I have to admit, the actors and actresses chosen in this video appeared to be cheazy and low budget, but the historical content is very rich. There is no biased point of view and it had a lot of critical thinking on how big the expedition was. We live in a western society where the likes of Columbus is protrait a hero. Little do we know that the Chinese fleets were very superior to those of the west nearly 100 years before Europeans started to dominate the seas. Had China kept a imperialism mentality, half the countries around the world would be speaking Mandarin.Very Interesting - SinhaLager
It's a shame this story hasn't been told by other producers. I remember 1st hearing about this intriguing Chinese history in a first year Economics course. To be honest, this iteration was quite slow. It had promise but proved to be quite disappointing. A very interesting history!
Member Reviews
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Great historical fact - Emperor
I have to admit, the actors and actresses chosen in this video appeared to be cheazy and low budget, but the historical content is very rich. There is no biased point of view and it had a lot of critical thinking on how big the expedition was. We live in ...Very Interesting - SinhaLager
It's a shame this story hasn't been told by other producers. I remember 1st hearing about this intriguing Chinese history in a first year Economics course. To be honest, this iteration was quite slow. It had promise but proved to be quite disappointing. A ...