World Affairs Council Presentation
World Affairs Council CA Central Coast
When China Ruled the Seas, the Treasure Fleets of the Ming Dynasty 1405-1433.
Speaker: Howard Smith
September 11, 2008
Location: Ventura County Maritime Museum
2731 S. Victoria Avenue
Oxnard, CA 93035
Time: 5:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m.
(Reception with appetizers
and no-host bar 5:30-6:30,
presentation 6:30-7:30)
Cost: $15 members, $20 non-members
By 1405 China had been a powerful empire for nearly two thousand years. The crown jewels of Emperor Zhu Di’s navy were his Treasure boats. These behemoths, nearly half the size of World War II aircraft carriers, were largest wooden sailing ships ever built. And although the wealth they carried back to China was staggering, it created conflict between the two factions that served the emperor; the Military and the Mandarin bureaucrats.
After the emperor’s death, the chief Mandarin sought to undermine the power of his foes by decreeing that the fleets be grounded, the records destroyed and overseas trade forbidden. The result crippled China for the next 600 years.
And although the greatest navy in the world disappeared overnight, not all the records vanished. Copies of Zheng He’s charts made their way to Portugal and Spain, paving the way for the European Age of Discovery and the subsequent colonization of the world.
But those of us who study history can only speculate what would have happened had the great fleets of the Ming Dynasty continued to rule the seas.
The fleets represent perhaps the single greatest accomplishment in naval history up until the 20th century. The decision to ground the fleet in 1433 and destroy most official records of its existence was perhaps the single greatest blunder in all modern history. This act, whose repercussions shaped the modern world order within which we all now live, plunged China into 600 years of decline and represents the ultimate triumph of partisan politics over common sense and the national welfare.
Howard Smith will explore the history of the Chinese Treasure Fleets in his presentation.
Feel free to contact us at any time:
WACA-CCC
300 E. Esplanade, #1800
Oxnard, CA 93036
Lin Graf, Executive Director
805-299-2390
lin@paladinprinciple.com
Ashley Bautista, Asst. Executive Director
805-299-2394
Ashley@paladinprinciple.com
| Permalink | author bio | 
Recent Comments