When China Ruled the Seas

249 Pages·1994·9.618 MB·English

by  Louise Levathes

THE TREASURE FLEET OF
THE DRAGON THRONE 1405-·1433
LOUISE LEVATHES
Simon & Schuster
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SIMON & SCHUSTER
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Copyright © 1994 by Louise E. Levathes
All rights reserved
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SIMON & SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks
of Simon & Schuster Inc.
Designed by Irving Perkins Associates
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10 9 8 7. 6 5 4 3 2 1
.,
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Levathes, Louise.
When China ruled the seas : the tr~asure fleet of the Dragoµ Throne 1405-
1433 I Louise Levathes.
p.' cm.
1. Cheng, Ho, 1371-1435. 2. Explorers-China-Biography. 3. China
Commerce-History. 4. China-History-Ming dynasty, 1368-1644.
DS753.6.C48L48 1994
951 '.026'Q92-dc20
[B] 93-42773
CIP
ISBN: 0-671-70158-4 ' l
For Zheng Ziqiang, Zheng Mianzhi, Zheng Zhihai,
and all the members of the Zheng family
in Nanjing and Kunming.

Contents
Pronunciation Guide to Major Figures 13
Chinese Dynasties 15
,, P. rologue f Phantoms in 'Silk 19
1 The Yi Peoples 23
2 Confucians and Curiosities 33
3 The Prisoner and ·the Prince 57 '
4 The Treasure Fleet 75
5, D~stination: Calicut 87
6 The Stra11:ge·Kingdoms of Malacca and Ceylon 107
7 ·E missaries of the Dragon Throne , 1]3
8 The Auspicious Appearance of the Celestial Anim.als 137
9 Fires in the Forbidden City 155
10 ,The Last· Voyage 167
11 1,'he Sultan's Bride 183
...
,.
'
Epjlogue: A People Called Baijini 195
Notes 205
Acknowledgments, 233.,
Index 237
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P~ont-tnciatioi\ (tt-tide to M~jo~
Fi9t-t~es
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Daoyan [l)A0YEN]
Pei Xin [FAY SHEEN]
Fu Youde [FOO YOW-DE]
Hou Xian [HOE SHE-EN]
Hui Shen [HWEY SHUN]
Ma Huan [MAHWAN]
Wang Zhen [WANG JUN]
Xia Yuanji [SHE-AH YOUANJHEE]
Xu Fu [SHOE FOO]
Zhang Xuan [JANG SCHWAN]
Zheng He [JUNG HUH]
Early Ming Imperial Family
ZhuDi [JEW DEE]
The Yongle emperor [YUNG-LE]' (1402-24)
Zhu Gaoxu [JEW GAOSHOE]
Zhu Gaozhi [JEW GAOJER]
The Hongxi emperor [HONG-SHE] (1424-25)
Zhu,Qiyu [JEW CHEE-YOE]
The Jingtai emperor [JING-TAI] (1449-57)
14 Pronundation Guide to Major Figures
Zhu Qizhen [JEW CHEEJUN]
The Zhengtong emperor [JUNG-TONG]
(first reign, 1436-49)*
The Tianshun emperor [TIEN-SHUN]
(second reign, 1457-64)
Zhu Yuahzhang [JEW YOUAN-JANG]
The Hongwu emperor [HOONG-WOO]
(1368-98)
Zhu Yunwen [JEW YUNWEN]
The Jianwen emperor [JHEN-WEN] (1398-1402)
Zhu Zhanji [JEW JANJHEE]
The Xuande emperor [SCHWAN-DE] (1425-35)
*Reign is divided because he was captured by the Mongols in 1449. His younger
brother replaced him on the throne until he was restored to power in 1457.