Seven Voyages: How China's Treasure Fleet Conquered the Sea

by Laurence Bergreen, Sara Fray

1405. The central coast of China.

At nearly seven feet tall, Admiral Zheng He looked out at the sea before him.

For the next three decades, the oceans would be his home, as he would command over 1,500 ships and thousands of sailors in seven journeys that would predate the heart of the European Age of Exploration. Over his seven epic journeys, Zheng He explored the Northern Pacific and Indian Oceans, traveling as far as the east coast of Africa, expanding Chinese power globally, warring with pirates, and capturing enemies along the way in the name of his emperor, Zhu Di. But this giant figure was not always at the helm of a ship.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, China, Middle Grade, Adventure, Nature, Biography

168 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Laurence Bergreen is an award-winning biographer, historian, and chronicler of exploration. His books have been translated into over 20 languages worldwide. In October 2007, Alfred A. Knopf published Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu, a groundbreaking biography of the iconic traveler. Warner Brothers is developing a feature film based on this book starring Matt Damon and written by William Monahan, who won an Oscar for “The Departed.”

His previous work, Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe, was published to international acclaim by William Morrow/HarperCollins in October 2003. A New York Times “Notable Book” for 2003, it is also in development as a motion picture and is now in its tenth printing.

In addition, Bergreen is the author of Voyage to Mars: NASA’s Search for Life Beyond Earth, a narrative of NASA’s exploration of Mars, published in November 2000 by Penguin Putnam. Dramatic rights were acquired by TNT.

In 1997, Bantam Doubleday Dell published Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life, a comprehensive biography drawing on unpublished manuscripts and exclusive interviews with Armstrong colleagues and friends. It appeared on many “Best Books of 1997” lists, including those of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Publishers Weekly, and has been published in Germany, Finland, and Great Britain. In 1994, Simon & Schuster published his Capone: The Man and the Era. A Book-of-the-Month Club selection, it has been published in numerous foreign languages, was optioned by Miramax, and was a New York Times “Notable Book.”

His biography, As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving Berlin, appeared in 1990. This book won the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award and the ASCAP-Deems Taylor award and received front-page reviews in major American and British newspapers and appeared on bestseller lists; it was also a New York Times “Notable Book” for 1990. His previous biography, James Agee: A Life, was also critically acclaimed and was a New York Times “Notable Book” for 1984. His first book was Look Now, Pay Later: The Rise of Network Broadcasting, published by Doubleday in 1980.

He has written for many national publications including Esquire, Newsweek, TV Guide, Details, Prologue, The Chicago Tribune, and Military History Quarterly. He has taught at the New School for Social Research and served as Assistant to the President of the Museum of Television and Radio in New York. In 1995, he served as a judge for the National Book Awards and in 1991 as a judge for the PEN/Albrand Nonfiction Award. A frequent lecturer at major universities and symposiums, he also serves as a Featured Historian for the History Channel.

Mr. Bergreen graduated from Harvard University in 1972. He is a member of PEN American Center, The Explorers Club, the Authors Guild, and the board of the New York Society Library. He lives in New York City and is represented by Suzanne Gluck of the William Morris Agency.

Reviews

[Brandy Painter]

While this book contained a lot of history I didn't know, it was presented in the most boring of fashions. I can't keep going. It's keeping me from reading entirely from trying to avoid it.

[Nessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a bit more from this. I think this book was okay. I had a hard time finishing it and I can see High Schoolers reading it for class instead of middle schoolers.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important and intense look at the patterns of China's civilization, expansion, and history. Anchored in a summary of China's society in the 1200s and 1300s, the focus in on the role of a particular adventurer in the early 1400s, establishing the dynasty he served as a trade and powerful force long before Western adventurers and explorers who are much better known among American and other western culture learners.
The content is informative and important, and I urge folks to read it. The publisher considers it suitable for middle grade but the audience, to me, is more clearly older teens or even adults. That is not becasue of unsuitable content, but because the background knowledge, complex geography, and text construction could leave younger readers disappointed. Even in that range, it reads more as academic text than as the page-turning thriller of adventure that it might have been.

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

SEVEN VOYAGES is an upper middle grade nonfiction read that focused the life of Zheng He, a Chinese boy from humble beginnings who went on to befriend the emperor and lead seven sea voyages in the 1400s that helped China become one of the most powerful nations in the world. He commanded thousands of men and ships over his careers, exploring as far away as Africa in search of treasures, riches, exotic animals, and powerful allies to bring back with him to support China's rise to power. The ships themselves were massive, and the size and organization of these expeditions was mind-blowing. Life in the palace was harsh, and some of the details about life for concubines and eunuchs may be hard for some readers, but the impact of these voyages and their affect on colonization of neighboring areas incredibly interesting.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look at a little-known (at least, to me!) part of history. In the early 15th century, China's Treasure Fleet and its admiral, Zheng He, managed to do what other ships couldn't. They were larger, stronger, better-built than European ships. Some of the ships in the fleet held floating gardens, so there would always be fresh vegetables at sea! Some held tanks of drinking water. I learned so much from reading this nonfiction book aimed at MG readers. For instance, I hadn't known that the magnetic compass was a Chinese invention. This book is jam-packed with facts that are presented in a smooth, easy-to-read way. Highly recommended. (CW: The book frankly explains exactly how eunuchs were created.)

[Tiffany Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have been reading this as a family and my 11 year old twin boys are LOVING IT! They are fully engaged in reading it that we finished it in 3 days!! Pirates, treasure hunting and adventure this book has it all. Even better is that they are learning real history! Perfectly written for my middle schoolers with the maps and visuals, the pages can easily jump out and form that picture in your head of the adventure being had. They want to know when the movie is coming out because it reminded them of the Pirates of the Caribbean and we can TOTALLY see this happening. Can't wait to see more from these authors!

[Reem Faruqi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that this was all a nonfiction story! Interesting and gripping. The eunuchs part was sad but it was all true life-- so much was eye opening for me. My mom read it too and enjoyed it as well! Great job to both authors Sara and Lawrence!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

From 1405 to 1433 Admiral Zheng He, a eunuch who was almost seven feet tall, spent much of his time at sea at the behest of his emperor, Zhu Di. The emperor of China was eager to expand his holdings and amass additional wealth, and to those goals, Zheng He made seven different voyages, exploring parts of the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean and parts of the African Coast. These were incredible feats as no one had gone as far as he did and the territory was unmapped. His accomplishments added to China's power and influence, and his watery adventures became the stuff of legends as he even faced down pirates. He seems to have been something of a diplomat as well as a warrior and sailor and to have had the ear of the emperor during all his exploits. The book covers his formative years and some of the political infighting that took place during this time period. By the end of his life, he had been in charge of 1,500 ships and thousands of men. The ships were unique in structure, form, and purpose with several being designed simply to hold the treasures Zheng He collected along the way, others to hold the water and food needed for such lengthy voyages. As a point of reference, four of the ships similar to those sailed by Christopher Columbus could fit inside one of the treasure ships. Detail about those ships, their cargo, and the seven voyages brings this time to life. And as much as readers will admire about the emperor, they will also shudder at his mistakes, ordering the killing of 2,800 concubines in his household due to jealousy and pettiness. The book includes information about the voyages from chroniclers of the time. Having never heard about this man or these voyages before, I was fascinated by the story. It might be a good choice as a supplemental text for a course in world history since the Chinese had many advances in areas such as exploration and book printing long before Europeans caught up with them.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A biography of Zheng He, admiral of Emperor Zhu Di's impressive Treasure Fleet that in the 15th century went on seven voyages all over Asia, Pacifica, the Middle East, and Africa to establish a trading route and expand the Chinese Empire's holdings.

Zheng He was forgotten by history for a while but in recent decades has regained notoriety for his accomplishments that pre-date many European explorers, and who commanded a fleet that far outstripped any Europe had to offer for centuries. Father and daughter authors have done extensive research and relate it in a fairly engaging manner. I like that we are now getting histories of non-European explorers for teens. Zheng He was a eunuch and what that means is related in detail (though clinically) so I'd say that makes this more appropriate for the YA crowd. Concubines and killing lots of them due to rumored affairs also had a huge role in Zhu Di's empire's fall so that what a concubine is and their extermination en masse at the hands of an angry emperor is also related. This would be a good addition to Age of Exploration units and any studying Chinese history.

Notes on content: No language issues. See what I mentioned above about eunuchs and concubines. Sea battles, executions of the emperor's enemies, and other battles are related matter of factly (some are still rather disturbing).

[Farida · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Zheng He China’s greatest maritime explorer and renowned diplomat is a story that needs to be told. In the early 1400s, for three decades He commanded seven voyages to explore the North Pacific and Indian Oceans and traveled as far as the east coast of Africa in the amazing Chinese Treasure Fleet ships, which were were well-organized, technologically advanced floating cities crewed by close to thirty thousand men. When Zheng He was ten years old, he was captured by the generals of the Ming dynasty and sent to live in Zhu Di, the Yongle emperor’s household where he grew up to become the emperor’s trusted bodyguard, servant, friend and soldier. When he was 35 years old, the emperor made him Admiral of the huge armada and commissioned him to take gifts of the finest Chinese silks, gold, silver, porcelain and explore the world, including Asia, India, Arabia, and Africa. Countries sent back their own presents... spices, incense, ivory, Arabian horses, zebras, giraffes, ostriches and more. As I read this book, I felt like I was there in the shipyards, on the ships as they sailed out, in the streets of the different countries watching people and learning about their cuisine, culture and country. At the end of the book I asked myself the question “How different would the world have been if...” I highly recommend this book.

[slauderdale]

What can I say? It was interesting, and educational, but I don’t trust it all the way? I kind of want to go back and check out his sources. One of them was a Daily Mail article called “Revenge of the Evil Emperor,” and I’m like, who cites the Daily Mail? There are no actual books or scholarly articles, or, “a recent translation by/out of…” to bolster those particular elements of the narrative? (and yes, I did read the tabloid piece. It was super credulous and tabloidy.)

There *are* actual history books listed as well, some of which I’ve heard of before, and I would be interested in checking those out at some point.

Also, I still want to read a novel about Zheng He. He remains absolutely fascinating.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took me a million years to actually sit down and finish, but I thought it was a really great introduction. Children's books (that don't fall into the trap of either failing to introduce any new information or just blatantly lying about stuff) are awesome places to start on a topic you'd like to delve into because they're low commitment and generally do a good job of explaining any niche words or concepts.
This one does you the additional solid of having not only a further reading list, but one broken down by area it relates to, which is great for adults starting their curiosity journey, but I'm pretty sure I would have also appreciated when I was a youth.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was my first introduction to Zheng He, who commanded the grand Chinese treasure fleet, which first set sail in 1407. I was fascinated to learn about his voyages to explore and build alliances throughout southeast Asia. Bergreen writes in an engaging yet factual style. He is clear about what's known for sure and what is speculation. Written for middle school students, this is a great addition to the collections of explorer books in school and public libraries.
Review based on an ARC from NetGalley.

[Jenifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good synopsis story on China's naval fleet in the 1400's. I didn't know any of the information going into the book, so I did learn a lot from it. There is also a rather extensive list in the back of sources (books and websites) where the authors obtained their information from and where you can go to get further information. I could easily see this as being a source for kids doing a history assignment or even a book report. Personally I'm using it to brush up on various topics for Jeopardy in hopes that one day I get on the show.

[Jeana Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super short and to the point of laying out the basics of each of the voyages of the Treasure Fleet and their admiral Zheng He. Even though I know it’s a kids book, I wish more information could have been supplied about the voyages or Zheng He or even what was going on with the emperor during the voyages but I’m sure most of it had to be cut for simplicity’s sake. Or at the very least better maps and pictures because that always draws readers in (or at least it does for me).

[Elizabeth S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soooo much world history that I need to learn; there was nothing in this book that I already knew. (I hope that is clear. Phrasing can be difficult.)

Big complaint, however, is MAPS. Need more MAPS. And the few maps that were in the book were rather small.

[Westley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy history

[Jbondandrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated by the Seven Voyages and Zheng He who commanded the voyages. This book will be enjoyable for any age.

[Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tough reading. Color photos would have made book more inviting. Larger maps, and more of them would also help. I admit to giving up and not finishing this book.