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When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433
A hundred years before Columbus and his fellow Europeans began making their way to the New World, fleets of giant Chinese junks commanded by the eunuch admiral Zheng He and filled with the empire's finest porcelains, lacquerware, and silk ventured to the edge of the world's "four corners." It was a time of exploration and conquest, but it ended in a retrenchment so complete that less than a century later, it was a crime to go to sea in a multimasted ship. In When China Ruled the Seas , Louise Levathes takes a fascinating and unprecedented look at this dynamic period in China's enigmatic history, focusing on China's rise as a naval power that literally could have ruled the world and at its precipitious plunge into isolation when a new emperor ascended the Dragon Throne.
During the brief period from 1405 to 1433, seven epic expeditions brought China's "treasure ships" across the China Seas and the Indian Ocean, from Taiwan to the spice islands of Indonesia and the Malabar coast of India, on to the rich ports of the Persian Gulf and down the African coast, China's "El Dorado," and perhaps even to Australia, three hundred years before Captain Cook was credited with its discovery. With over 300 ships--some measuring as much as 400 feet long and 160 feet wide, with upwards of nine masts and twelve sails, and combined crews sometimes numbering over 28,000 men--the emperor Zhu Di's fantastic fleet was a virtual floating city, a naval expression of his Forbidden City in Beijing. The largest wooden boats ever built, these extraordinary ships were the most technically superior vessels in the world with innovations such as balanced rudders and bulwarked compartments that predated European ships by centuries. For thirty years foreign goods, medicines,
geographic knowledge, and cultural insights flowed into China at an extraordinary rate, and China extended its sphere of political power and influence throughout the Indian Ocean. Half the world was in China's grasp, and the rest could easily have been, had the emperor so wished. But instead, China turned inward, as suceeding emperors forbade overseas travel and stopped all building and repair of oceangoing junks. Disobedient merchants and seamen were killed, and within a hundred years the greatest navy the world had ever known willed itself into extinction. The period of China's greatest outward expansion was followed by the period of its greatest isolation.
Drawing on eye-witness accounts, official Ming histories, and African, Arab, and Indian sources, many translated for the first time, Levathes brings readers inside China's most illustrious scientific and technological era. She sheds new light on the historical and cultural context in which this great civilization thrived, as well as the perception of other cultures toward this little understood empire at the time. Beautifully illustrated and engagingly written, When China Ruled the Seas is the fullest picture yet of the early Ming Dynasty--the last flowering of Chinese culture before the Manchu invasions.
During the brief period from 1405 to 1433, seven epic expeditions brought China's "treasure ships" across the China Seas and the Indian Ocean, from Taiwan to the spice islands of Indonesia and the Malabar coast of India, on to the rich ports of the Persian Gulf and down the African coast, China's "El Dorado," and perhaps even to Australia, three hundred years before Captain Cook was credited with its discovery. With over 300 ships--some measuring as much as 400 feet long and 160 feet wide, with upwards of nine masts and twelve sails, and combined crews sometimes numbering over 28,000 men--the emperor Zhu Di's fantastic fleet was a virtual floating city, a naval expression of his Forbidden City in Beijing. The largest wooden boats ever built, these extraordinary ships were the most technically superior vessels in the world with innovations such as balanced rudders and bulwarked compartments that predated European ships by centuries. For thirty years foreign goods, medicines,
geographic knowledge, and cultural insights flowed into China at an extraordinary rate, and China extended its sphere of political power and influence throughout the Indian Ocean. Half the world was in China's grasp, and the rest could easily have been, had the emperor so wished. But instead, China turned inward, as suceeding emperors forbade overseas travel and stopped all building and repair of oceangoing junks. Disobedient merchants and seamen were killed, and within a hundred years the greatest navy the world had ever known willed itself into extinction. The period of China's greatest outward expansion was followed by the period of its greatest isolation.
Drawing on eye-witness accounts, official Ming histories, and African, Arab, and Indian sources, many translated for the first time, Levathes brings readers inside China's most illustrious scientific and technological era. She sheds new light on the historical and cultural context in which this great civilization thrived, as well as the perception of other cultures toward this little understood empire at the time. Beautifully illustrated and engagingly written, When China Ruled the Seas is the fullest picture yet of the early Ming Dynasty--the last flowering of Chinese culture before the Manchu invasions.
252 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
May 18, 2011
In high school all the freshmen had to do a project called The Top Thousand People of the Last Millennium. We had to draw a slip of paper, and on it was the name of a potential candidate for this list. Our job for the entire rest of the year was to research this person and find out what they did to impact the world and present an argument that they should or should not be on this hypothetical list. When I drew my slip, I got "Zheng He". I was not pleased. Why couldn't I have gotten someone famous and interesting, like Hitler or Isaac Newton instead of this no-name Chinese guy that my Chinese friends themselves hadn't heard of? Well, by the end of the year I totally changed my mind. Zheng He was an AWESOME person to have because his voyages spread Chinese culture all over the world, way before the Europeans had any inclination to go seaward at all!
Louise Levathes' books popped up in many of the bibliographies of the books and papers that I read, but at the time my library's copy wasn't available, so I never got to read it in time for my project. Well, I was looking up books for one of my reading challenges in which I had to read something about seafaring, and I remembered the story of Zheng He's travels and I finally got the book in my hands.
Don't get me wrong, I loved Zheng He and Levathes' detailed descriptions of what Chinese boats looked like at the time, but I kept putting the book down, mainly because of the Chinese dynastic histories described in the book. I understand why that was in there--Zheng He's motivation to go to sea and his success at funding the voyages was dependent on who was in power--but I just could not dredge up the care for it. On the other hand, whenever Levathes described the battles He had to fight and the diplomatic maneuvers he employed to get foreign royalty to trade with the Chinese, I was riveted.
Overall, it's definitely worth a read. He's contribution to world trade happened decades before deGama, Columbus, and the others went exploring Africa and the Americas, and it's fascinating how after the last of He's voyages, the Chinese stopped trading and went through a long period of isolation that, well, seems to still be happening in certain areas of life. Imagine, if the Chinese had only built on He's trade and sea-faring skills, I might be writing this review in Chinese right now.
Louise Levathes' books popped up in many of the bibliographies of the books and papers that I read, but at the time my library's copy wasn't available, so I never got to read it in time for my project. Well, I was looking up books for one of my reading challenges in which I had to read something about seafaring, and I remembered the story of Zheng He's travels and I finally got the book in my hands.
Don't get me wrong, I loved Zheng He and Levathes' detailed descriptions of what Chinese boats looked like at the time, but I kept putting the book down, mainly because of the Chinese dynastic histories described in the book. I understand why that was in there--Zheng He's motivation to go to sea and his success at funding the voyages was dependent on who was in power--but I just could not dredge up the care for it. On the other hand, whenever Levathes described the battles He had to fight and the diplomatic maneuvers he employed to get foreign royalty to trade with the Chinese, I was riveted.
Overall, it's definitely worth a read. He's contribution to world trade happened decades before deGama, Columbus, and the others went exploring Africa and the Americas, and it's fascinating how after the last of He's voyages, the Chinese stopped trading and went through a long period of isolation that, well, seems to still be happening in certain areas of life. Imagine, if the Chinese had only built on He's trade and sea-faring skills, I might be writing this review in Chinese right now.
September 25, 2020
This book is essentially 1421 without the claims about the colonization of the Americas. Still, the essential story, for those who have an interest in China's treasure fleets, is still the same. Throughout most of China's history there has been a marked ambivalence, if not hostility, to the external trade relations of individual overseas Chinese who have escaped from the territorial mindset of the Chinese emperors, who have been strongly influenced by native Chinese cultural beliefs that have looked down on the merchant and extolled the value of landholders. For a brief period of time, though, there was space for external-thinking Chinese leaders, including the eunuch Zheng He, to throw Chinese weight around in the Pacific and Indian ocean regions, and the author strongly hints that there were quite a few Chinese missions going back hundreds of years, even a couple thousand years, that ended up going as far as the Americas and bringing Buddhism and Chinese symbolism (and even chickens) to Mesoamerica. To be sure, the author does not speculate on the implications of such things are, but less cautious writers would take a book like this as permission to run wild with ideas about the longstanding Chinese influence over Asia and Oceania and even more distant parts, and the author's sober discussion of the surviving accounts of Zheng He and his associates makes it clear just how ephemeral but how mighty Chinese naval power in the early 15th century was.
This book is about 200 pages long and it is a deeply interesting read. The book begins with a pronunciation guide to major figures, a discussion of Chinese dynasties, and a discussion of the phantom presence of Chinese in the historical memory of the nations of the Indian and Pacific Ocean regions. This leads to a discussion of the naval prowess of the southern Chinese Yi peoples (1), as well as the relationship between Confucians and international trade and travel (2). After this comes a discussion of the impulse that led the second Ming emperor to seek out the location of a hiding prince that was a potential threat to his rule (3), and the treasure fleets that were sent out to show Chinese power and expand Chinese influence in Southeast Asia, Eastern Africa, and related regions (4). The author talks about the trip of the Chinese fleet to Calicut (5) as well as to the strange kingdoms of Malacca and Ceylon (6), and the various odd places where the fleet served as emissaries of the dragon throne to shocked and stunned locals who wondered if such impressive seapower would be used against them (7). The book then talks about the appearance of celestial animals, namely giraffes (8), and their sad fate when faced with fires in the forbidden city (8), which augured some instability. After that the author discusses the last voyage of the treasure fleet (8) as well as the identity of the Sultan's bride (9), about whom there are myths. This leads to an epilogue about the identity of the Baijini people, notes, acknowledgements, and an index.
Although China is making a major push for naval dominance in the seas around China and throwing its weight around at the present day much like it had done during the Ming, the lessons of Zheng He are immensely complex. Although it is by no means impossible for China to have a massive naval force that would make it a world power on the seas, if it should so desire, throughout Chinese history the threat of land attack and internal disorder has typically siphoned off enough resources that spending money on deep-sea ocean forces has seemed to be a luxury, and so managing trade has been left to easily corruptible officials and unofficial smugglers. The concern for those of us who live here and now is not so much as to whether or not China could have or could be a great naval power, but whether the changes in power structure that removed Zheng He and his allies from influence may happen again in China, and whether the navalist factions of China have special weaknesses as a result of China's continental commitments that hinders them from the sort of naval influence that they could have in other circumstances. So often in life we are presented with choices, and the choice to focus on something means less of a focus can be given to something else. So it is with naval power.
This book is about 200 pages long and it is a deeply interesting read. The book begins with a pronunciation guide to major figures, a discussion of Chinese dynasties, and a discussion of the phantom presence of Chinese in the historical memory of the nations of the Indian and Pacific Ocean regions. This leads to a discussion of the naval prowess of the southern Chinese Yi peoples (1), as well as the relationship between Confucians and international trade and travel (2). After this comes a discussion of the impulse that led the second Ming emperor to seek out the location of a hiding prince that was a potential threat to his rule (3), and the treasure fleets that were sent out to show Chinese power and expand Chinese influence in Southeast Asia, Eastern Africa, and related regions (4). The author talks about the trip of the Chinese fleet to Calicut (5) as well as to the strange kingdoms of Malacca and Ceylon (6), and the various odd places where the fleet served as emissaries of the dragon throne to shocked and stunned locals who wondered if such impressive seapower would be used against them (7). The book then talks about the appearance of celestial animals, namely giraffes (8), and their sad fate when faced with fires in the forbidden city (8), which augured some instability. After that the author discusses the last voyage of the treasure fleet (8) as well as the identity of the Sultan's bride (9), about whom there are myths. This leads to an epilogue about the identity of the Baijini people, notes, acknowledgements, and an index.
Although China is making a major push for naval dominance in the seas around China and throwing its weight around at the present day much like it had done during the Ming, the lessons of Zheng He are immensely complex. Although it is by no means impossible for China to have a massive naval force that would make it a world power on the seas, if it should so desire, throughout Chinese history the threat of land attack and internal disorder has typically siphoned off enough resources that spending money on deep-sea ocean forces has seemed to be a luxury, and so managing trade has been left to easily corruptible officials and unofficial smugglers. The concern for those of us who live here and now is not so much as to whether or not China could have or could be a great naval power, but whether the changes in power structure that removed Zheng He and his allies from influence may happen again in China, and whether the navalist factions of China have special weaknesses as a result of China's continental commitments that hinders them from the sort of naval influence that they could have in other circumstances. So often in life we are presented with choices, and the choice to focus on something means less of a focus can be given to something else. So it is with naval power.
February 6, 2008
Louise Levathes had me at "Treasure Fleet." Those two words next to each other inevitably make for a winning combination. But, while she had me at Treasure Fleet, she soon lost me after that. Which is a shame, because the topic is so darn intriguing. What went wrong? I'm not sure. Throughout the reading of the book, I kept asking myself the same. I wondered if maybe it was the author or the sources or some other unknown factor. All in all, however, the book just was not that interesting--which frustrated me, since I thought it should be. Here's what it felt like. It felt like Louise Levathes had enough information for a nice long National Geographic article, but not near enough for a book. So, to fill in the missing gaps, she added a bunch of pre-history and cultural quirks--many of which had absolutely nothing to do with the era where China ruled the seas. On occasion such offenses are forgivable, especially if the asides are interesting, but I found them to be annoying divergences. Then, when Levathes gets to the meat of the tale, the actual Treasure Fleet, it is surprising how little she actually tells about the treasure fleet's voyages. Certainly, they take several chapters worth and destinations are revealed, foreign countries dabbled on, but it feels so empty of actual, researched material. I understand if Levathes is limited in the information she could have garnered about these expeditions, but if that is the case, it would have been nice to explain the lack of resources to the reader so that the scarcity of knowledge on the voyages can be explained. Here's what I would have liked to see. I would have liked the author to skip past the distant, pre-history of China--or at least summarized the essentials in one, short chapter, and then moved on to the Treasure Fleet, dwelling there for the rest of the book. This could be filled in with accounts from the fleet or from the countries visited or compared with European progress at the time. That is what I would have enjoyed reading. To give Levathes credit, she does drop interesting tidbits here and there, such as the constant philosophical struggles between the Confucians and the Eunuchs in the royal court and how the personalities of the Chinese rulers controlled the fate of the fleet. But those things are verdant oases in an otherwise colorless text. It's possible that there are books out there (or articles, even) that do a better job presenting the world of the Chinese treasure fleet, but it will probably take a while before I'll dare pick them up.
November 11, 2007
See my review of 1421 and 1491.
This book actually makes a trilogy - even though the three were not written by the same authors.
This one is a tougher read because of the oriental names and place names, but it is worth sticking with it.
It's very interesting due to the author's style - a seaman with an interest in history who has done an excellent job of pursuing his curiosity.
This book actually makes a trilogy - even though the three were not written by the same authors.
This one is a tougher read because of the oriental names and place names, but it is worth sticking with it.
It's very interesting due to the author's style - a seaman with an interest in history who has done an excellent job of pursuing his curiosity.
February 3, 2020
It's too bad Zheng He's voyages didn't leave behind more complete records, because it most likely would have been enlightening to read Levathes's full account of them. Behind what deceptively appears to be a narrative of the Treasure Fleet milked for all its worth is a tale of Chinese diplomacy, Sinocentrism, East Asian religion, and court politics that, despite the paucity of the sources concerning the actual fleet, leave us with a neat narrative of the Yongle Emperor's reign. Levathes does a fine job of extracting what little she can from scant Chinese sources on Zheng He and supplementing them with rich documents on the Ming Empire to create a convincing portrait of an Emperor who wanted to bring the glory of the Chinese Empire to the Indian Ocean while at the same strengthening China's diplomatic and military power vis a vis his new trading partners. As written, it's a convincing interpretation as to the purpose of the Treasure Fleet. Unfortunately, Levathes does not use the same subtle skill to explore China's subsequent abrupt isolationism. A book of deceptive depth that is also easy to read, it's a nice entry into the myriad of work on the Ming Empire that are contemporary to it.
July 24, 2018
Very interesting, as history books go. I prefer historical fiction, to avoid overwhelming with details and engage attention in a relatable story. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking facts about the history of China.
May 1, 2019
Includes some pretty unsubstantiated theories about China's contact with the wider world masquerading as based on historical research. Contains some (irrelevant) gruesome details. Not focussed enough on Zheng He.
February 22, 2024
This book wasn't what I expected it to be about, but I enjoyed it even more because it focused on the thought processes behind why Zhu Di - the Yongle emperor of the Ming Dynasty - decided to sent seven voyages from the cities inland from the Yangzi river to Indonesia, modern Sri Lanka, India and the East Coast of Africa and less on Zheng He, the eunuch admiral and military commander sent on these journeys.
I found the discussions on why China's international prestige in the former dynasties ebbed and flowed because of Confucianism's negative view on the position of traders and merchants on society's totem pole really interesting, and it wasn't until private trade in Malaysia really takes off in the early 1400s that the Ming dynasty sees how many goods and how much prestige is being left on the table. Migration patterns that exist today (the large amount of Chinese-Malaysians) started almost 700 years ago, and I thought it was cool that the book talked about that history.
I didn't know anything about Zheng He, or other eunuchs' histories either. I didn't have any idea that eunuchs were mostly the product of colonialism of minority populations to the west and south of the dynasty's borders. The empire would just scoop kids off and castrate them, and for some reason Zheng He befriends the emperor who does this to him (maybe because he has no choice?) and ends up leading these seven voyages to corners of the world that the Chinese hadn't visited in hundreds of years.
The book briefly talks about how Islam had already taken root in China (Zheng He was Muslim, and his grandfather had made the pilgrimage to Mecca. I wonder if that helped the Chinese traders when they landed in Hormoz on their 4th journey? The book doesn't really discuss much of the actual times the traders spent in each of these locations and briefly describes the politicking they had to do to keep favorable trading partners in power (specifically in Malacca).
I also have no idea how the Chinese traders were able to keep giraffes from the East coast of Africa alive for these super long trips back to China. The courts in Nanjing and Beijing thought that giraffes were signs that the Yongle Emperor had the Mandate of Heaven. They had never seen a giraffe before, and ascribed it to a creature of mythology - only to have the new Forbidden City in Beijing be destroyed by lightning a few years later that very quickly strips that Mandate away.
Overall, this book was filled with so many interesting tidbits and stories and I enjoyed a deep read on a very specific period of Chinese history that I have learned a bit about (I knew who Zheng He and the Yongle Emperor were, but I didn't know anything about the specifics of the seven voyages) but never in this much detail. Cool if you're into this history!
I found the discussions on why China's international prestige in the former dynasties ebbed and flowed because of Confucianism's negative view on the position of traders and merchants on society's totem pole really interesting, and it wasn't until private trade in Malaysia really takes off in the early 1400s that the Ming dynasty sees how many goods and how much prestige is being left on the table. Migration patterns that exist today (the large amount of Chinese-Malaysians) started almost 700 years ago, and I thought it was cool that the book talked about that history.
I didn't know anything about Zheng He, or other eunuchs' histories either. I didn't have any idea that eunuchs were mostly the product of colonialism of minority populations to the west and south of the dynasty's borders. The empire would just scoop kids off and castrate them, and for some reason Zheng He befriends the emperor who does this to him (maybe because he has no choice?) and ends up leading these seven voyages to corners of the world that the Chinese hadn't visited in hundreds of years.
The book briefly talks about how Islam had already taken root in China (Zheng He was Muslim, and his grandfather had made the pilgrimage to Mecca. I wonder if that helped the Chinese traders when they landed in Hormoz on their 4th journey? The book doesn't really discuss much of the actual times the traders spent in each of these locations and briefly describes the politicking they had to do to keep favorable trading partners in power (specifically in Malacca).
I also have no idea how the Chinese traders were able to keep giraffes from the East coast of Africa alive for these super long trips back to China. The courts in Nanjing and Beijing thought that giraffes were signs that the Yongle Emperor had the Mandate of Heaven. They had never seen a giraffe before, and ascribed it to a creature of mythology - only to have the new Forbidden City in Beijing be destroyed by lightning a few years later that very quickly strips that Mandate away.
Overall, this book was filled with so many interesting tidbits and stories and I enjoyed a deep read on a very specific period of Chinese history that I have learned a bit about (I knew who Zheng He and the Yongle Emperor were, but I didn't know anything about the specifics of the seven voyages) but never in this much detail. Cool if you're into this history!
September 20, 2025
Histoire de la navigation puis de la marine chinoises, en particulier son âge d'or sous le 2ème empereur Ming (fin XIVème- début XVème), puis sa disparition vertigineuse.
Origines communes (bassin chinois) aux peuples qui ont occupé l'Asie du Sud-est, le Pacifique et sans doute l'Océanie (+ probablement même atteint l'Amérique). Dès la Préhistoire, chassés par des crises géologiques majeures (fin de l'ère glaciaire et montée des eaux, puis formation de l'Himalaya qui a sans doute renversé le cours du fleuve Yangtse), ils ont été forcés d'émigrer par la mer.
Un des premiers peuples chinois les plus prospères s'appuyait fortement sur la navigation (proche).
Malgré ce passé maritime, le confucianisme reprouve l'exploration, l'éloignement loin des parents, la recherche de découvertes et surtout l'esprit d'entreprise et la volonté d'enrichissement, ce qui a grandement freiné le développement de la navigation chinoise.
Mais déjà avant l'invasion mongole, quelques empereurs réalisent l'importance d'une défense navale forte. Kubilai Khan développe une marine massive (avec les compétences, techniques et infrastructures qui vont avec), notamment dans le but d'envahir le Japon. Si le premier empereur Ming veut revenir aux valeurs traditionnelles, son neveu et successeur (Zhu Di) veut faire rayonner la Chine dans le monde et faire prospérer ses sujets.
Développement très rapide, jusqu'à une flotte dnt l'équivalent (en nb de bateaux) n'a plus été vu ds le monde jusqu'à la PGM. Bateaux immenses et très robustes (plusieurs fois la taille des caravelles des européens 100 ans plus tard), flottes d'expéditions jusqu'à plusieurs centaines de bateaux.
En très peu de tps, suprématie chinoise sur les mers d'Asie du Sud, liens commerciaux forts avec tous les pays de la région (notamment "Vietnam", Indonésie, Ceylan, divers royaumes indiens), jusqu'au Golfe Persique, sur les cotes de l'Afrique et Madagascar.
Apogée de la marine chinoises, Zheng He et sa flotte effectuent 7 longs voyages.
A la mort de l'empereur et après qqs règnes très courts, l'héritier se trouve être un enfant de 7 ans. Les conflits entre les 2 clans de la cour (eunuques "pro-business" vs confucéens traditionalistes défenseurs du renfermement de la Chine sur elle-même) fait rage et finit par se résoudre a l'avantage des confucéens. Abandon de la flotte et des sites de construction, qui va très rapidement jusqu'à l'interdiction de prendre la mer sur tout type d'embarcation. Le passage au transport fluvial pour le transfert de grains du sud au nord marque le coup de grâce.
Moins d'un siècle plus tard, la Chine a perdu tous ses bateaux, presque toutes ses infrastructures et ses compétences, et l'idée même de chercher a explorer ou commercer hors des frontières est proscrite.
Origines communes (bassin chinois) aux peuples qui ont occupé l'Asie du Sud-est, le Pacifique et sans doute l'Océanie (+ probablement même atteint l'Amérique). Dès la Préhistoire, chassés par des crises géologiques majeures (fin de l'ère glaciaire et montée des eaux, puis formation de l'Himalaya qui a sans doute renversé le cours du fleuve Yangtse), ils ont été forcés d'émigrer par la mer.
Un des premiers peuples chinois les plus prospères s'appuyait fortement sur la navigation (proche).
Malgré ce passé maritime, le confucianisme reprouve l'exploration, l'éloignement loin des parents, la recherche de découvertes et surtout l'esprit d'entreprise et la volonté d'enrichissement, ce qui a grandement freiné le développement de la navigation chinoise.
Mais déjà avant l'invasion mongole, quelques empereurs réalisent l'importance d'une défense navale forte. Kubilai Khan développe une marine massive (avec les compétences, techniques et infrastructures qui vont avec), notamment dans le but d'envahir le Japon. Si le premier empereur Ming veut revenir aux valeurs traditionnelles, son neveu et successeur (Zhu Di) veut faire rayonner la Chine dans le monde et faire prospérer ses sujets.
Développement très rapide, jusqu'à une flotte dnt l'équivalent (en nb de bateaux) n'a plus été vu ds le monde jusqu'à la PGM. Bateaux immenses et très robustes (plusieurs fois la taille des caravelles des européens 100 ans plus tard), flottes d'expéditions jusqu'à plusieurs centaines de bateaux.
En très peu de tps, suprématie chinoise sur les mers d'Asie du Sud, liens commerciaux forts avec tous les pays de la région (notamment "Vietnam", Indonésie, Ceylan, divers royaumes indiens), jusqu'au Golfe Persique, sur les cotes de l'Afrique et Madagascar.
Apogée de la marine chinoises, Zheng He et sa flotte effectuent 7 longs voyages.
A la mort de l'empereur et après qqs règnes très courts, l'héritier se trouve être un enfant de 7 ans. Les conflits entre les 2 clans de la cour (eunuques "pro-business" vs confucéens traditionalistes défenseurs du renfermement de la Chine sur elle-même) fait rage et finit par se résoudre a l'avantage des confucéens. Abandon de la flotte et des sites de construction, qui va très rapidement jusqu'à l'interdiction de prendre la mer sur tout type d'embarcation. Le passage au transport fluvial pour le transfert de grains du sud au nord marque le coup de grâce.
Moins d'un siècle plus tard, la Chine a perdu tous ses bateaux, presque toutes ses infrastructures et ses compétences, et l'idée même de chercher a explorer ou commercer hors des frontières est proscrite.
June 10, 2025
This was a little disappointing. I think that the point is supposed to be that toward the beginning of the Ming dynasty (early 1400s), China built a formidable navy that doubled as a merchant fleet. The country got rich from lots of trade in these voyages, as well as getting tribute from all over East Asia and the Indian Ocean.
The problem with the book (maybe?) is that there’s just not that much documentation of what happened, and so the book is short (~200 pages) and even a little padded. There seems to be good documentation that they went several times to the West coast of India, and a few times on to the Middle East and even West Africa. But there’s not enough detail to make each voyage interesting. Just “well they went there and then there and then there.”
Furthermore, there are only two maps in the book, and they’re not very good. They’re definitely not detailed enough to tell what’s going on most of the time. (It’s possible that this is because I was reading a paperback or something if I’m being generous.)
It seems like an interesting story, but not very well told (which, again, might not be completely the author’s fault, though I did find the writing to be unsatisfying). There’s a lot of speculation about various artifacts and stories from Australia, West Africa, and so on, that hints that the Chinese might have gotten further than is in the documentation.
Apparently, this maritime success stopped more or less when the one emperor died, and those who succeeded him decided that Confucious didn’t approve of trade much.
The problem with the book (maybe?) is that there’s just not that much documentation of what happened, and so the book is short (~200 pages) and even a little padded. There seems to be good documentation that they went several times to the West coast of India, and a few times on to the Middle East and even West Africa. But there’s not enough detail to make each voyage interesting. Just “well they went there and then there and then there.”
Furthermore, there are only two maps in the book, and they’re not very good. They’re definitely not detailed enough to tell what’s going on most of the time. (It’s possible that this is because I was reading a paperback or something if I’m being generous.)
It seems like an interesting story, but not very well told (which, again, might not be completely the author’s fault, though I did find the writing to be unsatisfying). There’s a lot of speculation about various artifacts and stories from Australia, West Africa, and so on, that hints that the Chinese might have gotten further than is in the documentation.
Apparently, this maritime success stopped more or less when the one emperor died, and those who succeeded him decided that Confucious didn’t approve of trade much.
May 26, 2020
2018 Reading challenge book review
Book: When China ruled the seas by louise levanthes
Topic: A non fiction book (a trade in for the 'romance book' topic I had no interest in)
Review: I didn't quite know what to expect going into this book. I'd been a big fan of the treasure fleets ever since reading about them in "guns, germs and steel" earlier this year, and this seemed like a good place for further reading. These bad boys were 400 feet long, with one ship being larger than the Nina, the pinta, and the santa Maria combined. It's hard not to get excited about a super boat, right?
Anyway, this book is, at it's core, dry reading. If you have no interest in China or sailing ships you should probably stay away. Both those things are right up my alley though, so I loved the read. Every bit of detail was something that spoke to my interests. I especially liked how the author made the history about the motivations and personalities of the people. The Ming dynasty seems more real to me now that I know the combating personalities of the eunuchs, the confucians, and the emperor's themselves.
Final review: 7.5/10. I'm glad I read it, but that's because I'm a history major living in China with a thing for the age of sail.
Book: When China ruled the seas by louise levanthes
Topic: A non fiction book (a trade in for the 'romance book' topic I had no interest in)
Review: I didn't quite know what to expect going into this book. I'd been a big fan of the treasure fleets ever since reading about them in "guns, germs and steel" earlier this year, and this seemed like a good place for further reading. These bad boys were 400 feet long, with one ship being larger than the Nina, the pinta, and the santa Maria combined. It's hard not to get excited about a super boat, right?
Anyway, this book is, at it's core, dry reading. If you have no interest in China or sailing ships you should probably stay away. Both those things are right up my alley though, so I loved the read. Every bit of detail was something that spoke to my interests. I especially liked how the author made the history about the motivations and personalities of the people. The Ming dynasty seems more real to me now that I know the combating personalities of the eunuchs, the confucians, and the emperor's themselves.
Final review: 7.5/10. I'm glad I read it, but that's because I'm a history major living in China with a thing for the age of sail.
July 12, 2025
"When China Ruled the Seas" tells the story of the Zheng He journey as well as general history before Zheng He and some of the aftermath. It's an older book on this point and itself partly draws on older diffusionist scholarly frameworks that are outdated in academia, but is otherwise a well told and informative story. I would have appreciated a little more analysis and contextualization, especially about the people and places Zheng He visited. But I appreciated learning more about Zheng He himself, from his earlier days fighting side by side with the emperor against the Mongols, to his veneration in Southeast Asia.
The book ends with some brief coverage of subsequent Chines maritime history, including the end of support for mass maritime shipping due in part to the focus on battling the Mongols and in part to fights between eunuchs and Confucians - and very brief coverage of piracy including from the Japanese and eventually the Portuguese. Of course, China's need to focus on its steppe border and the subsequent lack of innovation or exploratory/commercial/military shipping eventually enabled the Portuguese and other Europeans to exert maritime power, resulting in Western rather than Chinese dominance of the seas.
The book ends with some brief coverage of subsequent Chines maritime history, including the end of support for mass maritime shipping due in part to the focus on battling the Mongols and in part to fights between eunuchs and Confucians - and very brief coverage of piracy including from the Japanese and eventually the Portuguese. Of course, China's need to focus on its steppe border and the subsequent lack of innovation or exploratory/commercial/military shipping eventually enabled the Portuguese and other Europeans to exert maritime power, resulting in Western rather than Chinese dominance of the seas.
August 9, 2023
This well-researched volume explains China's dominance of the trade routes through South China and eastward, as far as India and Africa, even before European nations such as Britain, Portugal, and Spain sought trade opportunities in the Far East. Levanthes' work also explains how China's Emperor Xeung He commissioned the vast Treasure Ships (about 10 times larger than European counterparts plying the trade routes came to dominate trade and diplomatic missions between China and the rest of the world, making China the largest shipbuilding nation (even presumably above Venice), but later
Emperors fearing the power of the Eunuchs and foreign influence caused its collapse and withdrawal from international engagement for centuries after the 1400s.
Levanthes deserves a lot of credit for this work. One historian, David Grann I believe, cited Levanthes' book, as perhaps the leading scholarly work on the subject, given her translations as well as her research. I agree.
Emperors fearing the power of the Eunuchs and foreign influence caused its collapse and withdrawal from international engagement for centuries after the 1400s.
Levanthes deserves a lot of credit for this work. One historian, David Grann I believe, cited Levanthes' book, as perhaps the leading scholarly work on the subject, given her translations as well as her research. I agree.
July 9, 2024
(3.5)
This is a fascinating review of China’s seafaring culture in the early 1400’s. Written in a rather text-book manner, the author manages to review some of the preceding dynasties (given China’s long history, this is not easy to do without becoming very confusing) while spending most of her time on the 30 years or so a surprisingly outward reaching era. The most shocking fact may have been the size of the ships built (>400 ft long). A graphic shows many Mayflower type ships would have fit in one of the Treasure Fleet ships. In those 30 years one adventure seeking Emperor would send 300 ships to as far as East Africa with many of China’s treasures (silk, porcelain, etc.) to trade. Upon his death, his son reverted to the typical Confucian attitude of isolation and the potential world domination of China was halted. I’m surprised how little has been written about this era, this book seems to do a good job summarizing it.
This is a fascinating review of China’s seafaring culture in the early 1400’s. Written in a rather text-book manner, the author manages to review some of the preceding dynasties (given China’s long history, this is not easy to do without becoming very confusing) while spending most of her time on the 30 years or so a surprisingly outward reaching era. The most shocking fact may have been the size of the ships built (>400 ft long). A graphic shows many Mayflower type ships would have fit in one of the Treasure Fleet ships. In those 30 years one adventure seeking Emperor would send 300 ships to as far as East Africa with many of China’s treasures (silk, porcelain, etc.) to trade. Upon his death, his son reverted to the typical Confucian attitude of isolation and the potential world domination of China was halted. I’m surprised how little has been written about this era, this book seems to do a good job summarizing it.
October 5, 2022
Dit is een zeer interessant werk dat goed geschreven en gedocumenteerd is.
Louise Levathes geeft antwoord op een aantal vragen die ik mij stelde rond de figuur van Zheng He en hoe een eunuch admiraal kon worden van een keizerlijke vloot, de periode waarin China onbetwistbaar heerser der zeeën was en de reden waarom die enorme machtige vloot op redelijk korte tijd van het globale toneel verdween en de weg vrij liet voor de Europese mogendheden om de wereld te koloniseren.
In de eerste hoofdstukken beschrijft Louise Levathes hoe China lang voor Columbus voet aan wal zette op het Amerikaanse continent en in de epiloog van haar werk haalt ze ook nog antropologisch materiaal aan dat erop zou wijzen dat de Chinezen ook in Australië en de oostkust van Afrika, ja zelfs tot op de Zuidpool, geweest zijn.
Louise Levathes geeft antwoord op een aantal vragen die ik mij stelde rond de figuur van Zheng He en hoe een eunuch admiraal kon worden van een keizerlijke vloot, de periode waarin China onbetwistbaar heerser der zeeën was en de reden waarom die enorme machtige vloot op redelijk korte tijd van het globale toneel verdween en de weg vrij liet voor de Europese mogendheden om de wereld te koloniseren.
In de eerste hoofdstukken beschrijft Louise Levathes hoe China lang voor Columbus voet aan wal zette op het Amerikaanse continent en in de epiloog van haar werk haalt ze ook nog antropologisch materiaal aan dat erop zou wijzen dat de Chinezen ook in Australië en de oostkust van Afrika, ja zelfs tot op de Zuidpool, geweest zijn.
March 12, 2024
This one took me a while to read because I had covid brain for most of February and this book isn’t riveting.
The information is good. I’m glad I learned it. For that I give 4 stars.
I wish it had more pictures, more maps, more pronunciation guides interspersed in the text, and when the author wrote Ming dynasty he would write the dates behind it.
All of those things would’ve helped me understand and retain more of what I learned.
I wanted to read this book to learn of how China became a naval super power and then diminished. They left a power vacuum in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean just in time for Vasco de Gama to sail by and claim it all for the Portuguese.
The world may be vastly different today if they had retained that sea power.
The information is good. I’m glad I learned it. For that I give 4 stars.
I wish it had more pictures, more maps, more pronunciation guides interspersed in the text, and when the author wrote Ming dynasty he would write the dates behind it.
All of those things would’ve helped me understand and retain more of what I learned.
I wanted to read this book to learn of how China became a naval super power and then diminished. They left a power vacuum in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean just in time for Vasco de Gama to sail by and claim it all for the Portuguese.
The world may be vastly different today if they had retained that sea power.
October 18, 2025
Interesting history on the Chinese treasure fleet, with a lot of helpful context beforehand. Some dubious speculation on pre-history, and on the final chapter, but this is just a spring for further rabbit-hole researching, as opposed to the author making bold assertions to take on face value. The actual meat of the book is very solid, sticks to the sources and explains it all well and in an interesting enough fashion, very readable for people not into history as well I'd say. It's mostly a solid book, although I find it ironic the evidence and arguments it gives ultimately go against its consistent assertion that the Chinese had a shot at colonial and later global dominance, just as the Europeans started decades later.
April 13, 2021
I found the title somewhat misleading. The discovery voyages of the Ming dynasty period are certainly front and center of the book, but there is plenty of information about domestic developments in China at that time. It was a page-turner for me.
The author is Needham's student, and it shows. A broad and deep knowledge of historical sources of the period is apparent, as is great enthusiasm for technological achievements of medieval China. Her sinocentric perspective may still be refreshing today, but something is telling me that in a couple of years it will start feeling downright suffocating.
The author is Needham's student, and it shows. A broad and deep knowledge of historical sources of the period is apparent, as is great enthusiasm for technological achievements of medieval China. Her sinocentric perspective may still be refreshing today, but something is telling me that in a couple of years it will start feeling downright suffocating.
January 31, 2018
A delightful read that combines good storytelling with historical depth. While it's overshadowed by Gavin Menzies' spicy 1421: The Year that China Discovered America, When China Ruled the Seas is well worth a read. The drama of Zheng He's life and the court struggles of the early Ming dynasty unfold easily, peppered with side stories, myths, and cultural details that will please and enrich any reader who is not a professional historian of China. I'm glad I picked this one up.
March 13, 2025
It was good to read some history and not get it spoon fed to me by some crudely drawn stick figures on youtube. What did I learn about this time in Chinese history?
I learned that:
the people went wild for giraffes
eunuchs had tons of power
porcelain was king
Confucius
boat stuff/stuff about boats
Overall, it really isn't hyper fixated on the actual navy, but rather China's role in the world at large with its trade partners and neighbors. Totally fine.
I learned that:
the people went wild for giraffes
eunuchs had tons of power
porcelain was king
Confucius
boat stuff/stuff about boats
Overall, it really isn't hyper fixated on the actual navy, but rather China's role in the world at large with its trade partners and neighbors. Totally fine.
October 20, 2018
Very well written and as detailed as account as can be made given the limited records on the voyages of Zheng He. Truly drove home the political motivations for the voyages and their eventual end. Definitely recommend for those interested in the age of exploration - Zheng He's voyages made those of Colombus, Gama and others look pathetic but their sheer scale.
June 29, 2020
This was a fascinating read. Clearly written with lots of facts. I learned so many things that I had no idea about. I think it changed my opinion on the value of my education, and not in a good way. I cannot understand why such important things weren't/aren't taught to European students. History truly is manipulated, in the telling of it...
April 16, 2022
A fascinating story, but the delivery fell flat for me. Just a little too much, all at once. The paragraphs were so long and the writing so dense that it was hard to keep all of the people and the story straight. The author would jump around mindlessly and it was hard to keep up everything straight when she randomly jumped topics.
December 20, 2020
Apparently this was, until recently, the only book-length treatment of Zheng He in English. I read it in high school and it was interesting, though not great. Apparently there is a more recent book on the topic that I need to track down and read.
April 22, 2025
I thought this author kept it clear and concise.
I knew absolutely nothing about Chinese history before reading this book. It opened my eyes to a whole world of topics for future books to read. I was a little sad when I finished it.
I knew absolutely nothing about Chinese history before reading this book. It opened my eyes to a whole world of topics for future books to read. I was a little sad when I finished it.
November 1, 2017
I hate this book with a passion. Worst. Book I've ever read and I've read my fair share of terrible books
December 3, 2018
Fascinating scholarly inquiry extensively researched. History brought to life.
December 24, 2019
Well-researched with interesting content, but the style was less engaging than I wished.
April 28, 2020
Pretty informative read. Clearly written, if slightly academic in style.
Who knew that the Chinese were so ahead of the Europeans at on stage, in terms of nautical prowess and empire.
Who knew that the Chinese were so ahead of the Europeans at on stage, in terms of nautical prowess and empire.
November 20, 2020
Fascinating history of Chinese treasure fleets that sailed throughout SE Asia, India and then on to Africa.
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