Nature: Zheng He's voyage to the West was a political act under the feudal system and a tribute trade regardless of economic interests; The opening of new sea routes is the overseas colonial nature of capitalism and belongs to primitive accumulation of capital.
Scale: Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas were huge, with only over 200 large and small ships sailing at a time, with 27,000-28,000 people sailing at a time. The largest captain was 44 feet long and 65,438+08 feet wide, and sailed seven times. The new route is small in scale, with few people and small ships.
Time: Zheng He's voyage to the West lasted nearly 30 years, nearly half a century earlier than the opening of the new route.
Source of funds: Zheng He's voyage to the Western Ocean was invested by the government; The funds for opening new routes come from personal investment or royal support.
Historical influence: Zheng He's voyage to the West promoted friendly exchanges with Asian and African countries, but tribute trade was not conducive to the national economy and people's livelihood; Since then, China's ocean voyage has almost disappeared. The opening of the new air route has opened up a new activity place for the emerging bourgeoisie, promoted the rapid development of capitalism, strengthened the ties around the world, and mankind began to move from the development of scattered and isolated ethnic groups to the whole world. Different achievements:
Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas are the farthest places that China has been to, but those places have long been known and discovered by the world.
When Columbus discovered the new continent, he discovered a continent that was unknown to the world at that time.
Different purposes:
The main purpose of Zheng He's voyage to the West is to publicize the heavenly rights of the Ming Dynasty and let the Ming Empire give gifts to the whole world, which is of great publicity significance.
Columbus discovered the new continent mainly because he expanded and colonized the world on the basis of exploration.
Foreign regrets since the Ming and Qing Dynasties are often reflected here-a country that lacks territorial ambitions and is bent on self-protection will eventually be ravaged by other ambitious people. Zheng He's voyage to the West is a national act, and Zheng He's fleet is a powerful strategic force. Obviously, the Ming government set out from the national interests (including the emperor's will) and national needs at that time and sent Zheng He's fleet to the Western Ocean. To sum up, the mission and achievements of Zheng He's voyages to the West mainly include four aspects:
1. Carry out peaceful diplomacy and stabilize the international order in Southeast Asia.
Before Zheng He's voyage to the West, the international environment around China was turbulent, which was mainly manifested in mutual suspicion and competition among Southeast Asian countries. At that time, Java and Siam, the two largest countries in Southeast Asia, expanded outward, oppressed some neighboring countries, threatened Malaga, Sumatra, Zhancheng and Zhenla, and even killed the envoys of the Ming Dynasty in Sankou, intercepting the missions that paid tribute to China; Another pirate is rampant, and Southeast Asia and South Asia are rampant. They are very arrogant and the maritime traffic lines are not guaranteed. These unstable factors, on the one hand, directly affected the security of southern China, on the other hand, greatly affected the international image of the Ming Dynasty, which was not conducive to the stability and development of the Ming Dynasty. In this situation, Ming Chengzu adopted a peaceful foreign policy of "keeping China at home, looking after foreigners, treating each other as equals and enjoying peace". Zheng He was sent to lead a fleet to the Western Ocean to mediate and ease conflicts among countries by various means, so as to maintain maritime traffic safety, thus linking the stability and development of China with the surrounding areas, trying to establish a long-term stable international environment and enhance the international prestige of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, it can be seen from the mission of sending Zheng He in the Ming Dynasty that this is a mission to achieve peace.
Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas mediated contradictions, calmed conflicts, and eliminated barriers, which was conducive to the stability of surrounding areas, safeguarded the stability and maritime security of Southeast Asia and South Asia, and enhanced the reputation of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, it can be seen that Zheng He's fleet has strong military strength, but it is not used for aggression and expansion, but for peaceful purposes. In the international environment at that time, there were thousands of people in Chen Zuyi and tens of thousands of people in Alejandro Nair. Without strong military strength, it was difficult to achieve peace.
Needham's evaluation: China, an oriental navigator, is calm and docile, does not remember old accounts, is generous and generous, and never threatens the survival of others, although he has benefactors; They are armed to the teeth, but they never conquer foreigners or build forts.
2. Deterre the enemy, contain the Mongolian forces and safeguard national security.
At that time, the threats to the security of the Ming Dynasty mainly came from two directions: pirates in the East China Sea, the remnants of the Mongolian Yuan in the north and the Timur Empire in the northwest. Japanese pirates first appeared in the late Yuan Dynasty, and there was a civil war in Japan. In order to survive, some samurai and ronin robbed the coast of China, which was very rampant during the period of Zhu Yuanzhang in the early Ming Dynasty. At that time, the Ming Dynasty had just been established, and the domestic situation was still unstable. So we concentrated on Anne, adopted a passive defense strategy in national defense, set up health centers in coastal provinces, built the Great Wall in the north, and sent troops to the border.
During Judy's period, land and sea posed a serious threat to the security of the Ming Dynasty. He changed his passive defense strategy, took the initiative to leave the plane, moved the capital in the direction of land, and personally conquered Mobei. Zheng He's navy was set in the direction of the sea, deterring and attacking the Japanese pirates and anti-Ming forces, strategically encircling from the sea and strategically containing the northwest, thus alleviating the pressure in the north of the Ming Dynasty.
3. Develop overseas trade and spread Chinese civilization.
Zheng He's mission to the West was mainly for political purposes, but it also had certain economic purposes. There are many considerations for the country to implement such a large strategic action. During Zheng He's fleet's voyage to the West, many trade activities were carried out, mainly in three forms:
The first kind of tribute trade. This kind of trade is the basic form of Zheng He's voyage to the West, and it has the nature of a feudal sovereign state. In this way, these small countries recognized the status of the sovereign state of the Ming Dynasty, which was the political purpose of tribute trade. At that time, all countries actively paid tribute to China. On the one hand, they were sheltered by the Ming Dynasty, on the other hand, they were richly rewarded. According to statistics, in the 22nd year of Yongle, 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 per year, which is unprecedented. Even more, the kings of Brunei, Malaga, Sulu and Gumalang personally led a delegation. At most, 18 tribute missions from different countries came to China at the same time, and three kings died in China during the visit. They will entrust China with burial. In the Ming Dynasty, the king was given a heavy burial.
The second kind of official trade. This is an important part of Zheng He's voyage to the West. Trading with local businessmen under the official auspices of both sides is an important way to expand overseas trade in the Ming Dynasty. Zheng He's fleet was full of gifts and goods from China, such as copper coins, silk, porcelain and iron. This kind of trade can be bought and sold with copper coins in the Ming Dynasty, and many things can be bartered. The most influential is the high-five pricing method. In Guri, China, after the fleet arrived, the local agent was responsible for the transaction and took the goods to trading places. The two sides negotiated the price face to face under the auspices of officials. Once an agreement is reached, they will never go back on their word. The two sides high-fived each other to show the deal. This friendly trade model has been circulated as a beautiful talk in the local area. During Zheng He's voyages to the West, especially in the last few voyages, the scale of trade expanded, following the principles of equality, voluntariness and equal exchange, and possessing some basic principles of international trade.
The third kind of non-governmental trade. To some extent, this kind of trade was promoted by Zheng He's trade activities in the Western Seas. It is not produced by the government, but spontaneously by businessmen or people. Zheng He's voyages to the West wiped out pirates, safeguarded maritime safety, opened up navigation channels, and promoted and stimulated non-governmental trade. According to some scholars' research, Zheng He's mission did not prohibit officers and men from exchanging some China goods along the way. People in Southeast Asia like China's silk, porcelain and tools very much. As soon as Zheng He's fleet arrived, they rushed to row boats or trade at the dock, and some even invited officers and men to set up stalls in the local market. At that time, China mainly exported porcelain, silk, tea, lacquerware, metal products and copper coins. China mainly uses them to exchange jewelry, spices, medicinal materials and rare animals. At that time, China imported 100 Jin of pepper from overseas, and the local value was 1 2. When it returned to China, it sold 20 Liang, which was very profitable.
Zheng He's trade activities in the Western Seas include political trade and economic trade.
Wherever Zheng He went to the West, he not only conducted overseas trade, but also spread China's advanced culture. At that time, some countries and regions in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa were backward in social development and longed for Chinese civilization. When Judy sent Zheng He to the Western Seas, she also shouldered the mission of "educating overseas countries, guiding etiquette and changing habits". Zheng He spread Chinese civilization overseas and wrote a new chapter in the history of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. The contents of Zheng He's voyage to the West to spread Chinese civilization mainly include the following aspects: Chinese etiquette and Confucianism, calendar and weights and measures system, agricultural technology, manufacturing technology, architectural carving technology, medical technology, navigation and shipbuilding technology.
There are still many stories about Zheng He circulating overseas. There are Bukit China and Lihang Baojing in Malaysia, Semarang and Semarang Temple in Indonesia, leaving the remains of Zheng He and expressing the local people's respect for this pioneer in spreading Chinese civilization.
4. Develop marine industry and lay Asian-African routes.
The ocean is the cradle of life, accounting for 70.8% of the earth's surface area and rich in resources. Since ancient times, it has been a space for human production and life, which has had an important impact on human society and is closely related to the survival, development and rise and fall of our Chinese nation. Our ancestors created Longshan and Baiyue marine cultures in the early days. /kloc-At the beginning of the 5th century, Zheng He's voyages to the West pushed China's ancient marine industry to the peak of development and made important contributions to human marine civilization. Mainly manifested in:
First, the Asian-African intercontinental route was opened, paving the way for westerners to sail in Asia and Africa. When Portuguese navigator Da Gama reached the east coast around the Cape of Good Hope along the west coast of Africa, the locals told us that China people had visited several times decades ago. With the help of Arab navigators, they successfully reached India along the route opened by Zheng He's fleet.
Secondly, I made some marine expeditions to the western Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, and collected and mastered a lot of marine scientific data. Zheng He's nautical charts were drawn through a large number of marine surveys. This kind of marine exploration activity is more than 400 years earlier than the earliest marine survey recorded by British Challenger (1872- 1876).
The third is the strategic layout of the navigation area. According to his mission and marine knowledge, Zheng He chose Zhancheng, Malaga, Jiugang, Guli and Hulumos as the key areas for marine development, which is conducive to expanding the scope of overseas transportation and trade.
Zheng He's voyages to the West made many contributions to the marine cause. Zheng He's brilliant achievements belong to China and the world. He has been in the ocean for 28 years since he was in his thirties. He was 60 years old when he went to the Western Ocean for the last time. For the sake of cultural exchanges and navigation between China and foreign countries, he resolutely led the fleet out. This time, he never came back and died in Guri, India, at the age of 62, buried forever on the road of peace he opened up.
Among the China heroes with bright stars, Zheng He has attracted the attention of the international community not only because he is ahead of westerners in navigation technology, but also because he is superior to westerners in navigation technology. I think the most important aspect for people to pay attention to and study him is probably a cultural spirit represented by Zheng He: a value orientation of China people who are brave in suffering and conquering nature, and a determination to open their doors to the world for cultural exchanges.
Zheng He's spirit of loving his post and serving the country is eternal, which embodies the excellent qualities of the Chinese nation, such as openness, enterprising, peace and friendship, exchanges and cooperation, ocean management and being the first in the world. It is a valuable spiritual wealth, which is worthy of being inherited and carried forward by future generations and promoting human civilization.
The commercial revolution and the price revolution proved the correctness of the geographical circle theory, opened the prelude of European colonial expansion, and made the world become a whole day by day.
1. triggered a business revolution: the business center moved from the Mediterranean to the Pacific coast.
2. Initiate a price revolution: gold and silver depreciate and prices rise.
The strength of the bourgeoisie has increased and the interests of the landlord class have been harmed.
3. European countries began to colonize and expand
It ushered in the era of great geographical discovery,
Arouse people's pursuit of gold and silver wealth,
Promote the formation of the capitalist international market system,
Promote people's exploration thoughts. Columbus-evaluation of main event figures
1486, the navigator Columbus boldly declared to the Spanish king that according to the theory of the earth circle, China and India could be reached by sailing westward from the Atlantic Ocean. This is closer than China Eastern Airlines. 1492 In April, Queen Isabella and her husband King Ferdinand adopted his suggestion. He was sent in the name of the royal family to find the route to the East, was awarded the rank of "Admiral", and pre-sealed him as the "hereditary governor" of the newly discovered land.
At dawn on August 3rd, Columbus set out from Barros Harbor with three sailboats and 87 sailors, and arrived in Bahamas 69 days later. He was named "San Salvador" (meaning "Savior"). He thinks this is India, so he calls the aborigines "Indians". The fleet continued southward to Cuba and Haiti. There, he didn't find gold and spices, only saw some very backward and primitive barbarians and jungles. On March 1493, Columbus left the West Indies and returned to Spain. Later, he went to the Americas three times, discovered Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Dominica and other places, and arrived in Honduras and Panama in Central America, laying the foundation for Spain's colonial cause. But until his death, Columbus discovered the edge of Asia for him, but he didn't know it was the "New World".
Zheng He is the most outstanding and powerful navigator in the history of China. Zheng He's talent has been vividly reflected in all the great undertakings he has done in his life. He has shown outstanding wisdom and talent in navigation, diplomacy, military affairs, architecture and many other aspects.
From the early years of Yongle, Zheng He turned to sailing under the arrangement of Ming Taizu Judy. In Zheng He's early sailing activities, he was already studying and analyzing nautical charts, familiar with the navigation skills of leading stars across the ocean, familiar with all kinds of compass books in the East and West, astronomical geography, marine science, ship driving and repair. From the third year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1405) to the eighth year of Xuande (A.D. 1433), Zheng He led a huge fleet to seven voyages to the Western Ocean, sailed to Asia and Africa through Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, and reached the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa as far as possible, covering more than 30 countries and regions in Asia and Africa. The scale, number of people, strict organization, advanced navigation technology and long voyage of these seven voyages not only showed the strength of the Ming Dynasty, but also fully proved Zheng He's ability to command thousands of troops.