Qing Dynasty Perceptions of Zheng He and His Voyages

Abstract

In the conventional narrative, the voyages of Zheng He are said to mark a climax in China’s history, after which the nation would turn inward and reject naval development and its associated engagement with the wider world. In this narrative, Confucianism is responsible for what is presented as China’s inward turn. This article challenges this narrative by examining a consistent strain in Confucian thought of the late Ming and early Qing. It demonstrates that China’s most important Confucian thinkers regarded Zheng He and his voyages as dangerous because of Zheng He’s eunuch status. Criticizing neither naval development nor engagement with the world, these thinkers saw in Zheng He’s voyages the seeds that had led to the fall of the Ming.