A New Look at Chen Cheng’s Role in His Diplomatic Missions to Herat (1413–1420)

Abstract

Chen Cheng 陳誠 has been praised for his accomplishments on the three diplomatic missions to Herat, which took place during Emperor Yongle’s 永樂 reign (1403–1424) in the Ming period (1368–1644). This acclaim, and the fame that has accrued to him since then, suggest that he played an instrumental role in the relations between China and the Central Asian countries through which he passed. However, since he was second in command of these missions, serving under eunuchs each time, it is difficult to find evidence for his individual contributions to China’s relations with the Timurids or with other powers. This article looks not only at Chen’s two most famous works, his Xiyu xingcheng ji 西域行程記 and Xiyu fanguo zhi 西域番國志, but also at his writings in other genres, including a long descriptive poem (fu 賦), his shorter poems, his letters from another mission, a memorial to the emperor, a summary of his career, and also writings by others, to see the light they shed on his role. Not only do his various writings complement each other and fill in each other’s gaps, but they also reveal that he acted as chief ambassador on at least two side expeditions, and was a member of the inner circle during meetings with various local rulers, enjoying their hospitality and observing their ways of life first hand. Although they do not convey an exact picture of his role on these missions to Herat, taken as a whole his writings convey a sense of his encounter with other civilizations along the Silk Road in the early fifteenth century.