The Definitive Explorer - The Epic Voyages of Zheng He
Over 75 years before Christopher Columbus set sail to discover The New World, Chinese explorer and seafarer Zheng He led seven expeditions from the coast of China to all parts of the known and then unknown world.
While Christopher Columbus used a fleet consisting of just three ships and just over 100 men to cross the Atlantic, Zheng’s mostly unknown voyages in the early part of the 1400s included fleets of up to 300 ships, requiring crews of up to 27,000 men.
In contrast to the ships in the Columbus fleet, which were all less than 60 feet in length, the largest of Zheng’s ships were somewhere between 400 and 600 feet.
His voyages covered vast areas of the Indian Ocean and included stops throughout Southeast Asia, India, Persia (Iran), Arabia and the Red Sea. His traveles also included areas of southeast Africa as far as Mozambique. There is speculation that he led his ships around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa as well.
It’s been proposed that Zheng’s fleet may have traveled as far as North and South America, leaving settlers behind as far as eastern Canada.
The book, Seven Voyages of Sindbad, is potentiall based on accounts by sailors who traveled on Zheng’s seven voyages.
You can learn more about the voyages and life of Zheng He at the lecture and photo presentation by Michael Yamashita at the National Geographic Masters of Photography Series - The Epic Voyages of Zheng He.
Yamashita, a regular contributor to National Geographic and author is also an award-winning photographer.
He has written books on Zheng He and Marco Polo. His recent book, Zheng He, Discovery, details the travel of Zheng He by retracing each of his journeys.
National Geographic Masters of Photography Series - The Epic Voyages of Zheng He
The Grosvenor Auditorium
National Geographic Society Headquarters
1600 M Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
202-857-7700 – Press “2″ for tickets
Date
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
7:30 p.m.
Tickets
Adults: $17.00, children: $8.50
Nearest Metro Stop
Farragut West - Blue Line, approximately a 4-block walk
Photo credit: Zheng portrait - Zheng Institute
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