The treasure fleets of Zheng He
China sends enormous fleets across the Indian Ocean, then stops.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 28 years
- Known to
- ± 1 year
- Era
- Post-Classical, Holocene
Between 1405 and 1433 the eunuch admiral Zheng He commands seven expeditions of up to 300 ships and 28,000 men to Southeast Asia, India, Arabia and East Africa, bringing back tribute and a giraffe. The largest vessels dwarfed anything European. Then the Ming court cancels the programme, records are destroyed and ocean-going shipbuilding is restricted — a decision usually explained by cost, factional politics at court and the priority of the northern frontier.