We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
China across Sea in Early Ming Dynasty - The Figure of Zheng He?
- Authors
Turturici, Armando Alessandro
- Abstract
This paper examines briefly the figure of the famous eunuch and military commander Zheng He. As a favourite of one of the greatest emperor of China, Yongle, he served as a commander-in-chief of the southern capital Nanjing. Even if he made great contributions to China, his story was ignored for a long time. Zheng He's voyages marked the apex of China's seafaring but it also implies a sort of missed opportunity to rule the modern era. For this reason his figure was neglected by many scholars. After his voyages, China turned inward and failed to compete with rising Europeans supremacies. With the publish of Biography of our homeland's great navigator, Zheng He, in 1904, Liang Qichao opens the prelude to Zheng He studies and with the resurgence of interest about his figure. Nowadays, there was a revival without precedents of his figure. On 19 May 2005, for example, in the Nanjing Museum were displayed 600 Ming style imperial cooking vessels to celebrate Zheng He's sexcentenary. However, many statues, especially in Nanjing, were erected to commemorate his figure. Every year, a lot of people goes to the mountain Niushou 牛首山, in Nanjing, to visit Zheng He's Grave. The main aim of this article is to let the common reader know of the most famous and celebrated heroes of China.
- Subjects
CHINA; ZHENG He; MILITARY officers; MING dynasty, China, 1368-1644; CHINESE military history; EUNUCHS; SEA power (Military science); HISTORY
- Publication
Quarterly Journal of Chinese Studies, 2016, Vol 4, Issue 3, p111
- ISSN
2224-2716
- Publication type
Article