When China Ruled the Seas

This chapter details the seventh and last voyage of the treasure fleet and explains the reasons for the decline of the great navy—and, more generally, Ming power in the 15th century. Zhu Gaozhi’s 26-year-old son, Zhu Zhanji, succeeded him as emperor. He ruled with a prudent balance between the competing interests of the Confucian scholars and eunuchs. On one hand, he was a proponent of good government and financial stability; on the other hand, he appointed eunuchs to military posts and revived the voyages of the treasure ships.

In 1430, after several years in power, Zhu Zhanji worried about China’s declining influence in the world and lack of tribute trade. He informed Zheng He of a new expedition, which took several years’ preparation given the passage of so much time since the previous one. Intuiting that this might be the final voyage, Zheng erected two stone tablets, one each at the mouths of the Yangzi and Min Rivers. While their purpose was to pay homage to Tianfei, they also listed all his accomplishments in detail.

The voyage set sail in January 1432. Over the next year, they visited Vietnam, the islands of Indonesia, Malacca, Ceylon, and Calicut.