The impact of Zheng He's expeditions on Indian Ocean interactions

The impact of Zheng He's expeditions on Indian Ocean interactions

Author: 
Sen, Tansen
Publisher: 
Cambridge University Press
Date published: 
2016
Record type: 
Journal Title: 
Bulletin of the school of Oriental and African studies
Source: 
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, Vol. 79, No. 3, October 2016, pp. 609-636
Abstract: 

This article examines the consequences of the Ming maritime expeditions led by Admiral Zheng He (1371-1433) in the early fifteenth century on Indian Ocean diplomacy, trade, and cross-cultural interactions. The presence of the powerful Ming navy not only introduced an unprecedented militaristic aspect to the Indian Ocean region, but also led to the emergence of state-directed commercial activity in the maritime world that extended from Ming China to the Swahili coast of Africa. Additionally, these expeditions stimulated the movement of people and animals across the oceanic space and might eventually have facilitated the rapid entry of European commercial enterprises into the Indian Ocean region during the second half of the fifteenth century.

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CITATION: Sen, Tansen. The impact of Zheng He's expeditions on Indian Ocean interactions . : Cambridge University Press , 2016. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, Vol. 79, No. 3, October 2016, pp. 609-636 - Available at: https://library.au.int/impact-zheng-hes-expeditions-indian-ocean-interactions