Travel Logs and Resume of Zheng He
Travel Logs: Zheng He
Log 1 (in South China Sea):
We have set sail from Nanjing by the will of the great Chinese emperor, Yongle. The fleet the I command is made up of our square-shaped and strongly reinforced junks, which have watertight bulkheads that keep us stay afloat without worries. The ships are the largest that have ever been built, and they contain nine towering masts. We are destined to land at ports throughout the expansive Indian Ocean, and we have an official on every ships to lead us the right way using compasses. We also have men that use charts and the Pole Star to navigate and to mark the beautiful coastline of the Yongle's lands. Our fleet, thousands of men and hundreds of ships strong, is ready to show China's might to the world. We set sail to claim tributary states for the emperor, but also to bring him back exotic treasures by selling marvelous Chinese goods, such as silk and porcelain. We have over three scores of ships whose cargo is exclusively local Chinese precious goods. Our men come from varying backgrounds, as some are soldiers, some are traders, and some are civilians or clerks.
We have been going at a fairly slow pace, but the sailing has gone steady and well so far. In the deep waters of the South China Sea, the junks are as planned performing very well. We have spotted a few isolated islands, but we have easily made are way around them at a safe distance, as our ships are not built to fare as well in shallower waters. I can see that from our success thus far, that are expedition will run smoothly in the way that the emperor wants it to. As we come across soon the lands to the south, I know that our naval and political superiority will be shown.
Log 2 (Champa):
We have reached our first port, called Vijaya in the land of Champa. Champa is famous for the rice that now commonly grows on terraces and feeds much of the population of the Chinese Empire. There are also the distinctive terraces in Champa. There are many familiar-looking people here who are traders, as it seems like some of my countrymen have moved here. Many people here speak our language and dress in the same style as we do. The people here follow the traditional ideals and philosophy of Confucius like many Chinese do. As a follower of Allah I do not particularly like this fact, but Champa's following of these ideals has made it willing to give a payment of tribute to the great emperor. I presented them with their deserved valuables, but I might have given them too much in my excitement. Because of the willingness of the people here to trade and cooperate with the emperor, we should return here in another voyage. I am glad that the Champa is under the rule of China again as a tributary state, and this time under an actual Chinese Dynasty and not in the hands of barbarians.
Log 3 (Aden):
After crossing the Arabian sea our fleet has reached the port of Aden, which is part of the Muslim sultanate of Yemen. Muslim religious leaders our fleet has brought from China have conversed with their Middle Eastern contemporaries. Even though there are many deserts in this area of the world, much agriculture is practiced near Aden, and I was shown manuals that described new agricultural techniques and crops. I was told that the people here seem to know exactly to the day when to plant crops. I will relay this new knowledge to emperor Yongle. Many foodstuffs are produced in the area around Aden, and when trading we selected from rice, beans, cereals, wheat, sesame, vegetables, and fruits.
The people here, called Arabs, value both craftsmanship and learning, and this fact is evident in the fine gold and silver ornaments that are found here and the bookshops that are here, respectively. The ruler of Yemen, al-Malik al-Zahir, was very willing to cooperate with us. He generously presented to me two gold belts inlaid with jewels, a letter written on gold leaf and a number of exotic African animals, which will be given to the great emperor. I wish other nations that we have visited would respect the emperors power and would become tributary to him as much as Yemen has, but alas, force must be used to make sure the world knows who has the most power. Now that the political business is done here, we are ready to move on to continue showing China's power to the world.
Log 4 (Mogadishu):
The fleet has headed further west and has arrived in Africa, at the port of Mogadishu. The people here are dark skinned and have strange and exotic customs. Their view of us and our actions is that of awe, but they also think we are strange. At first, I was worried because they appeared that they would be hostile to our presence. They speak a language called Somali, and two translators are needed to converse with them. The translation goes from Chinese to Arabic to Somali. However, the people are Muslims and are hospitable to us. They have peacefully and willingly accepted the rule of the emperor and are now a tributary state to China.
We have sent an envoy inland and have established relations with a nomadic group. In the areas surrounding Mogadishu there are many small villages. The people there live there have little but have good character. They live in huts of stone with two stories, with rooms for congregation, cooking, and relieving oneself. Very few crops are grown here, because the climate is arid and the soil is not fertile, but the people fish for food and to sell. The people dress strangely and distinctively here, with the men wearing little clothing because of the heat and the women wearing gold earrings.
I agreed to take a group of African merchants to the emperor and back to their homes. This fact shows their interest in us that will hopefully turn into a trading relationship that I can capitalize on in future voyages. We have travelled across the expanse of many waters, have done much trade, and have shown the might of the emperor. Now we begin our return trip to China.
Log 5 (Strait of Malacca):
We have returned across the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean, and we are in the strait surrounded by Malay lands that leads to the South China Sea. We have visited the biggest port city in this region, Malacca, which is at the narrowest part of the strait. I commissioned the construction of a base on the north side of the Malacca river, and I plan to use it to store goods in future voyages of the fleet that I will lead. I secured an alliance with the city, and was glad that its ruler was a convert to Islam. In the city there were people of many races, religions, and cultures. There were even officials that administered trade with different ethnic groups, and we met with the official for East Asians. The city is the center of trade in the region, as rubies, musk, tin, gold, cloves and nutmeg are all available.
After leaving the city and continuing to sail through the strait I saw and heard about certain ships filled with barbaric people who attack innocent merchants and fishermen. I became very upset with these actions, because they are unlawful and disrupt harmony. I decided to use force to stop these pirates, as my men are more skilled with weapons than them and outnumber them. The pirates controlled entire islands and had a fleet of ships. Our attack was successful, but we lost a small number of good men. However, the pirate fleet was completely annihilated and we captured the pirate leader. We will spare him for now, but he will face the wrath of the great emperor Yongle when we return to China, and will surely be executed. The great fleet at my command will now begin the last stage of this great voyage. When we return to China the emperor will be pleased by our political success and our success in trade, and we will surely be able to bring our fleet on a great voyage again.
Resume
My objective for a job would be a leader of a large group of travelers that engages in political, military and economic activities.
Education: I was trained in the Chinese court and military from the age of 10.
I learned much about the geography and culture of the lands to the west of Chuna.
I learned to speak both Arabic and Chinese.
Experience: I led seven sea voyages that expanded China's economic and political power on the world stage from 1405-1433. The voyages visited port cities in China, Southeast Asia, the Malay Islands, India, Arabia, and East Africa. I led a fleet with hundreds of ships and thousands of men.
I am a Muslim and I participated in the Hajj to Mecca.
The men of my fleet defeated in battle a group of pirates in the Sumatran port of Palembang, killing 5000 men and capturing the pirate leader.
Positions that I have held: I was a servent in the houseold of the emporer's fourth son.
I was appointed Grand Eunuch by the Chinese emperor in 1404, and this is when I gained my title Zheng.
I was an admiral in the Chinese Navy from 1405-1433 that led the expeditions I have described.Travel Logs: Zheng He