Chinese Treasure Fleet: The Adventures of Zheng He

Admiral Zheng He

Today on Far Future Horizons we present a fascinating documentary concerning China’s legendary Ming dynasty admiral – Zheng He and his magnificent Treasure Fleet.

Zheng He Treasure Ship

Between 1405 and 1433, Admiral Zheng He of China led seven epic voyages to more than 30 countries, including Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Kenya and Tanzania. The admiral and his crew gathered knowledge and wealth from Indochina to Africa for China's Ming Empire. These voyages were the biggest naval expeditions mounted at the time. Zheng He was bigger than life and could have changed the course of history. 

A display at the Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai, UAE compares the size of ships used by Zheng He and by Christopher Columbus.

 

But after the seven voyages, he and his Treasure Fleet were forgotten by China, and the world, for six hundred years. National Geographic photographer Michael Yamashita sets sail to discover why.

The Voyages of Zheng He

 

Could Admiral Zheng He have transformed China in 1421 into a nascent naval power with the ability to discover and colonize the New World some seventy years before Christopher Columbus set sail into the unknown and discovered America?

Chinese Treasure Fleet: The Adventures of Zheng He
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