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preface
Due to the humiliating history of the Chinese nation in modern times, there are always people who doubt whether Chinese civilization really has a glorious history, and among the skepters is a Chinese doctor of science and engineering named Lin Yanping.
Once, in a lecture in China, Lin Yanping mentioned the story of Zheng He's trip to the West, but he insisted that it was a hoax by the Ming emperor, which caused an uproar.
But in the face of the argument that goes against the student's cognition, Lin Yanping can still talk eloquently, giving evidence that he believes is enough to support the argument. However, a student's rhetorical question made him shut up.
Why did Lin Yanping question the authenticity of Zheng He's descent to the West? What did the student use to ask him a question? What is the real Zheng He going to the West?
oppugn
Dr. Lin Yanping has certain academic achievements, so although he has worked and lived abroad for many years, many domestic universities will invite him to return to China from time to time to give lectures. For the invitation of universities, Lin Yanping is very willing to participate, but the lectures he gave did not meet the expectations of teachers and students every time.
For example, in that speech, Lin Yanping talked about the history of Zheng He's voyage to the West, but as soon as he spoke, all the teachers and students were shocked. I saw him standing on a three-foot podium, swearing that Zheng He's going to the West was a big scam, which was fabricated by the rulers of the Ming Dynasty in order to promote national prestige.
For such a speech that is "unsurprising and dead", Lin Yanping can also give his own judgment basis without hurrying.
First of all, Lin Yanping, as a doctor of science and engineering, is very concerned about data. Therefore, the first basis he gave was that the ships recorded in the history books were too big for China to build at that time. Reading the "History of Ming", we can know that Zheng He's treasure ship was 140 meters long, nearly 60 meters wide, and had four floors above and below, which was a very large scale.
Lin Yanping
Lin Yanping calculated according to the size given, the tonnage and displacement of this ship will be astronomical, which is not at all in line with his perception of the level of scientific and technological development in China's Ming Dynasty. In ancient times, there were no high-strength building materials such as alloy cast iron, and it was a fool's dream to make a ship of this size based on the wood commonly used at that time.
In addition, while the scale of the treasure ship is large, the draft must also be very deep. According to Lin Yanping's calculations, the draft of the ship is at least eight meters.
However, even the draft of the Yangtze River could not reach eight meters, so Lin Yanping also believed that even if Zheng He's ship was built, it would not be able to drive out of China's coastal waters.
More importantly, according to the story of Zheng He's voyage to the West, this should be a powerful action that deserves to be recorded in the annals of history in detail. However, Lin Yanping deliberately went to look at the official history, and he was surprised to find that such a major event that was spread to the whole world, and the official history was only brought with a few strokes.
Lin Yanping
After studying the book, all his inferences denied the authenticity of Zheng He's descent to the West, so he thought that he had discovered the shocking secret that Zheng He's descent to the West was a big scam.
However, just when he was complacent about exposing the false lies of the Ming rulers, a rhetorical question from a college student in the audience made his smile freeze on his face.
rhetorical question
Lin Yanping's words, from logic to data, there is not much problem, at first glance it is really convincing, many students who do not know the truth may have been foolishly doubted by him about the history he has studied before. However, practice is the only criterion for testing truth, and one of the students who listened to Lin Yanping's lecture that day happened to see with his own eyes the historical relics that had been preserved after Zheng He went to the West.
This classmate has rich travel experience, and when he visited some Southeast Asian countries, he found that these countries still retain temples, stone monuments and other cultural relics commemorating Zheng He. For example, this classmate once personally went to the Indonesian island of Java, where he saw a temple called Sambao Gong, which was built in honor of Zheng He.
According to the introduction of the locals, this classmate also knew that Zheng He, the "Three Treasures Eunuch" in the Ming Dynasty, visited here and brought advanced production technology to the locals, so that their ancestors could live a better life.
The local people who received the favor also knew about the Entu newspaper, and wanted future generations to remember the progress Zheng He brought them forever, so they built a temple for him. What's more worth mentioning is that even the capital of Java, Indonesia, is called Semarang, which is also related to Zheng He's nickname and is still used today.
In addition, on some islands in Africa, there has always been a legend of Zheng He, and the local people have always admired Zheng He, who helped them. To this day, in the National Museum of Sri Lanka, there are still treasured stone tablets about Zheng He's fleet, with clearly visible inscriptions in Chinese characters.
After this classmate told the above facts, he did not forget to ask Lin Yanping without humility, if Zheng He had not been to the West, could it be that these were all a big lie told by other countries united?
Lin Yanping couldn't answer for a while when he heard this, and his smile that he had sworn just now gradually stiffened. The teachers and students present understood that Lin Yanping's mouth just now was untrustworthy speculation. If Zheng He had not gone to the West, it is easy to understand that only the Chinese people, under the intentional guidance of the rulers, would have formed collective false legends by false rumors.
However, even if the Ming Dynasty is strong, it is impossible to affect countries in Southeast Asia and even Africa, let alone make the people of overseas countries willingly weave a lie together.
This is also a problem that Lin Yanping is difficult to think of as a doctor of science and engineering, he only cares about data and logical reasoning, but does not know to conduct field investigations, which makes such a big oolong.
In these three words, he almost erased the national prestige of the Ming Dynasty and the merits of Zheng He, and subjectively almost rowed the vast Chinese fleet on the boundless sea from history.
authentic
Large-scale maritime operations are not unique to China, and many Western countries will also launch organized navigation and exploration activities after their economic development. It is only affected by the materialistic flow of capitalist society, and the so-called navigators in the West covet the gold and silver treasures that may be available in the "New World", and there is no comparison with China's voyages.
Compared with the plundering behavior of pirates in the West, Zheng He's sailing operations are bright, even with the glory of the Celestial Empire. There are not many historical materials that can verify the events of Zheng He's youth. We only know that when he was 11 years old, he was tortured and sent to the palace.
Although he lost his sound physique, he did not become depressed and degenerate, but made battle merits in the Yan King Mansion, which was appreciated by Zhu Di.
By the third year of Yongle, Zhu Di had already ascended the throne as emperor, and Zheng He also began a mighty voyage under his will. In the following 28 years, Zheng He traveled to the West seven times and visited more than 30 neighboring countries, driving China's exchanges with these countries and sending advanced technology of the Ming Dynasty to backward countries.
Of course, these achievements are all afterwords, and Zheng He, who was in Changle Taiping Port in Fujian for three years, could not predict it, he only knew that the result of this trip to sea was still difficult to say. It is not that he is pessimistic, but whenever he stands on a splint and looks into the distance, he can only see the boundless sea, and does not know what he will encounter in the unknown distance.
However, every time he looked back, he could see the fleet following him. The unprecedented fleet of ships was fully equipped with various types of security, which slightly eased his anxiety at sea for the first time.
According to the available information, we can know that when Zheng He went to sea, he "commanded tens of thousands of officers and soldiers and more than 100 ships at sea", which is a unique occasion in the ancient history of China and even the world. The treasure ship that Lin Yanping questioned was also real. In order to ensure the safety of the navigation of the giant treasure ship, the ship is equipped with nine masts and can hang twelve large sails, which will be very spectacular from a distance.
Sailing on the endless sea, in addition to being careful of the dangers of wind and waves, you must also guard against disorientation. Therefore, the huge fleet can go to sea several times and return safely, which is inseparable from strong technical support.
On the one hand, the science and technology of the Ming Dynasty did have a great development, and the basic knowledge of astronomy and geography was gradually completed, which could provide theoretical support for ocean navigation. On the other hand, it is also inseparable from the wisdom of the crew.
For example, the drawing technology of nautical charts and the efficient coordination and operation ability of the entire fleet are unmatched by Western navigators and fleets. In order to maintain the normal operation of the fleet, the accompanying support ships brought by Zheng He were not a small number.
It is precisely because of this that Zheng He's voyage to the West can leave a magnificent mark on the world's maritime voyages.
epilogue
It can be said that Zheng He's voyage to the West is a feat that is enough to kick off the prelude to the Age of Exploration.
Even regardless of the size of the fleet, Zheng He had an advantage in the timeline of ocean voyages, and it was not a problem to be one hundred and eighty years earlier than the West. For example, he arrived at the Cape of Good Hope eighty-three years before Dias, eighty-seven years before Columbus, and more than a century before Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe.
Everywhere Western navigators went, there was widespread mourning, and the local people denounced their robbery behavior. But the overseas countries rejoiced when they heard that Zheng He's fleet was coming, because Zheng He would bring them advanced culture and technology.
To sum up, Zheng He's seven voyages to the West have really happened, and no one can deny this feat that is enough to be remembered by the whole world based on subjective assumptions!
Bibliography:
[1] WANG Runhua. After Zheng He landed in Malacca: Inheritance and innovation of Chinese culture[J]. Journal of Guizhou Normal University (Social Science Edition), 2021(4):118-124.
[2] Wan Ming. The Historical Logic of the Rise of the Strait of Malacca: Zheng He's Seven Voyages to the Western Ocean and Seven to Manchuria[J]. Pacific Sinica,2020,28(3):94-102.