Ming Imperial Voyages, 1405 - 1433 - Historical Immersion (Yale-NUS College) - LibGuides at National University of Singapore

Welcome

For background information and a good understanding of the topic, consider consulting "Zheng He: China and the oceans in the early Ming dynasty, 1405-1433" and "The Cambridge History of China". Interesting voices include: Geoff Wade, a respected historian affiliated with NUS; and Gavin Mezies, author and controversial amateur historian. "Zheng He's maritime voyages (1405-1433) and China's relations with the Indian Ocean world: A multilingual bibliography" was created by experts; it lists and describes relevant sources on Zheng He and the Ming imperial voyages.

Use this guide to identify sources for your assignment and research paper. Many different sources are presented here, including a PBS documentary, the Cheng Ho Society's website, news articles, books, journal articles, and papers on current affairs.

Consider exploring these sources and using them as a starting place when selecting sources for your assignment and when conducting research for your paper.

Suggested sources

Zheng He: Images and perceptions by Roderich Ptak (Editor); Claudine Salmon (Editor)
ISBN: 3447051140
Publication Date: 2005-01-01
Historians, authors, artists, and politicians have been fascinated by Zheng He's voyages. The authors of this book were motivated to explore the various images of Zheng He because of the legends and stories, and their political and even religious implications. This book looks especially at images in selected literary works, and at their Islamic dimensions.
Zheng He: China and the oceans in the early Ming dynasty, 1405-1433 by Edward L. Dreyer
ISBN: 0321084438
Publication Date: 2006-05-03
This biography, part of Longman's World Biography series, is written by the respected historian, Edward Dreyer. In this book he makes the argument that Zheng He's expeditions were attempts at imperial expansion, rather than mere exploration.
China Goes to Sea by Andrew S. Erickson (Editor); Lyle J. Goldstein (Editor); Carnes Lord (Editor)
ISBN: 9781591142423
Publication Date: 2009-07-01
This book takes a comparative-historical perspective with chapters on land-to-sea power transitions of other world powers. The intention of the book is to explore China's contemporary maritime transformation; however, the book does explore Imperial Ming and Qing dynasty China.
The Cambridge History of China by John K. Fairbank (Editor, Contribution by); Denis C. Twitchett (Contribution by)
ISBN: 0521214475
Publication Date: 1978-06-05
This multi-volume publication from Cambridge University Press intends to give an authoritative introduction to the history of China. Volumes 7 and 8 address the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, with chronological chapters on reigns and events.
Zheng He: Navigator, discoverer and diplomat by Chiu Ling-yeong
ISBN: 9810438451
This publication was issued as part of the Wu Teh Yao memorial lectures in 2000 in a joint effort between National University of Singapore the Centre for the Arts. Its content is written in both English and Chinese.
Zheng He's Maritime Voyages (1405-1433) and China's Relations with the Indian Ocean World by Ying Liu (Volume Editor); Zhongping Chen (Volume Editor); Gregory Blue (Volume Editor)
ISBN: 9789004280168
Publication Date: 2014-08-12
This bibliography lists selected sources of scholarship on Zheng He's seven maritime expeditions and the early-modern communication between China and the Indian Ocean World. It lists a variety of sources in 13 different languages and includes primary sources, books, websites, and articles.
Zheng He by Michael Yamashita; Gianni Guadalupi (Introduction by)
ISBN: 9788854401648
Publication Date: 2006-10-17
This travel photography book represents photographer Michael Yamashita's attempt at tracing Zheng He's footsteps and voyages. The images are based more on the photographer's understanding of Zheng He legend and stories, than on historical sites.
Eighth Voyage of the Dragon by Bruce Swanson
ISBN: 0870211773
Publication Date: 1982-01-01
This book surveys China's naval history and explores the ways in which this impacts current naval policy. While this book does not touch on Ming imperial voyages, you may draw your own conclusions as to how China's naval history is tied to Zheng He's voyages.

Chan, H. (1975). The Rise of Ming T’ai-tsu (1368-98): Facts and Fictions in Early Ming Official Historiography. Journal of the American Oriental Society, 95(4).
This article explores the fictions employed by official Chinese historiographers, focusing on the portrait of the Ming founder.
Dooley, H. J. (2012). The Great Leap Outward: China’s Maritime Renaissance. The Journal of East Asian Affairs, 26(1).
This article presents China's current maritime interests as its 'return' to the sea after a traditional focus on 'continental interests' since Zheng He's Ming dynasty voyages.
Holmes, J. R., & Yoshihara, T. (2006). Soft Power at Sea: Zheng He and Chinese Maritime Strategy. United States Naval Institute. Proceedings, 132(10), 34–38.
This article argues that Beijing employs the legends of Zheng He's voyages as a matter of diplomatic strategy in order to ease international concerns.
Meicun, L., & Zhang, R. (2015). Zheng He’s voyages to Hormuz: The Archaeological Evidence. Antiquity, 89(344), 417–432.
The exact location of ancient Hormuz, the destination of Zheng He's voyages in the Persian Gulf, was previously uncertain. This article presents archeological evidence that present day Hormuz Island is the site of ancient Hormuz.
Wade, G. (1998). Facing history. Far Eastern Economic Review, 161(52), 29.
This editorial article explores the presentation of Chinese historical texts in contemporary foreign relations.
Wade, G. (2005). The Zheng He Voyages: A Reassessment. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 78(1 (288)), 37–58.
This article argues that Zheng He was not an 'ambassador of friendship', but rather, employed by the Yong-le emperor for imperial expansion.

International Zheng He Society. Retrieved August 4, 2015, from http://www.chengho.org/index.php
The International Zheng He Society was founded by several scholars. The group is dedicated to uncovering facts about Zheng He's voyages and studying technological developments.
Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi-lu - home. Retrieved August 4, 2015, from http://epress.nus.edu.sg/msl/
"The Ming Shi-lu (明實錄) (also known as the Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty) is a collective name for the successive reign annals of the emperors of Ming China (1368-1644). Each of the shi-lu comprises an account of one emperor's reign, and was compiled after that emperor's death on the basis of a number of sources created during the reign. These collected texts, which run to close to 40,000 pages of unpunctuated, manuscript Classical Chinese constitute one of the most important primary texts of the Ming dynasty, and contain a wealth of materials unrecorded in other sources."

Ying-yai sheng-lan by Ma-Huan; J.V.G. Mills (Translator)
ISBN: 0521010322
Publication Date: 1970-12-02
Hsing-chʻa-sheng-lan : the overall survey of the star raft by Fei, Hsin
ISBN: 3447037989
Eredia's description of Malaca, Meridional India, and Cathay by translated from the Portuguese with notes by J.V. Mills
ISBN: 9679948080

Historical Immersion (Yale-NUS College): Ming Imperial Voyages, 1405 - 1433

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