zheng he led chinas naval exploration during the age of exploration.
who led chinas naval exploration during the age of exploration?
zheng he
the "yingya shenglan" is considered by sinologists worldwide as a primary source for the history of ming dynasty naval exploration, history of south east asia and history of india.





























some scholars who have done research work on ma huan are j.j.l. duyvendak, f. hirth, paul pelliot, feng chengjun, xiang da, j.v.g. mills.





























section::::see also.





























bullet::::- fei xin, another participants of zheng he's expeditions who wrote a book





























bullet::::- the "mao kun map" in "wubei zhi"





























section::::references.
ma huan
the letter and the exploration it represents is part of the era known as the age of exploration or the age of discovery. it began in the 15th century and continued into the 17th century and is classified as a time when europe expanded its knowledge of geography for trade routes and riches. it chronologically overlaps with the renaissance and shares some of the same values such as a search for provable knowledge. the maritime explorations were often the first contact between many cultures and europeans. spain and portugal later followed by france, great britain, and the netherlands often funded the voyages in hopes of enriching themselves and sometimes for scientific discovery. one impetus for the curiosity of naval exploration began when the ottoman empire blocked traditional trade routes such as constantinople, north africa, and the red sea. henry the navigator, a prince of portugal, began funding voyages for economic benefit and in hopes of a christian expansion that would contain the spread and growing power of islam. notable explorers were christopher columbus, bartolomeu dias, vasco da gama, john cabot, pedro álvares cabral, ferdinand magellan, jacques cartier, and later henry hudson, hernán cortés, and francisco pizarro. the voyages were possible through certain technological advancements such as astrolabes, magnetic compasses, and triangular sails as well as more reliable maps and mapping systems. many of the technological knowledge of these advancements were developed elsewhere and borrowed by european crews. the technologies improved and the grasp of geography grew with further explorations. ming china was also expanding its naval knowledge during the 1400s, but in 1436 the emperor outlawed more voyages after reaching east africa. the age of exploration challenged existing world views, improved geographic and naval knowledge, and created a global power structure that altered countless communities and cultures. contact, as vespucci's letter outlines, was not always a peaceful encounter. beyond the often violent clashes of the sailor and native peoples upon arrival, the age of exploration gave rise to an even more violent system of colonization with disease, forced restructuring of societies, mass displacement of people from the transatlantic slave trade, and other drastic changes that created an imbalance of power that last for centuries after the age of discovery.
amerigo vespucci letter from seville