Rating: 
Summary: "When China First, at Heaven's Command ..."
Review: This is an entertaining look at the voyages of Zheng Ho, a eunuch in the service of the Ming Emperor of China, in the fifteenth century C.E. China's navy was then the most powerful in the world, and Levathes helps us recognize this with some skillfully drawn comparisons between Zheng Ho's treasure ships (the largest wooden vessels ever built) and the puny Santa Maria. China was unquestionably the most advanced civilization in the world during Zheng Ho's time, and had the voyages been allowed to continue, resulting in permanent Chinese influence on and control of the Indian Ocean, Africa, and possibly America and Europe, our world today would be very different indeed. Levathes does a good job of explaining why Ming China decided to stop the voyages and its international trade, and points out that while Westerners tend to see this as a failure, to the Chinese at the time it seemed a success. This is probably the most valuable insight of the book, the illustration of a very wide gap between the psychological makeup of East and West.
Rating:
Summary: "When China First, at Heaven's Command ..."
Review: This is an entertaining look at the voyages of Zheng Ho, a eunuch in the service of the Ming Emperor of China, in the fifteenth century C.E. China's navy was then the most powerful in the world, and Levathes helps us recognize this with some skillfully drawn comparisons between Zheng Ho's treasure ships (the largest wooden vessels ever built) and the puny Santa Maria. China was unquestionably the most advanced civilization in the world during Zheng Ho's time, and had the voyages been allowed to continue, resulting in permanent Chinese influence on and control of the Indian Ocean, Africa, and possibly America and Europe, our world today would be very different indeed. Levathes does a good job of explaining why Ming China decided to stop the voyages and its international trade, and points out that while Westerners tend to see this as a failure, to the Chinese at the time it seemed a success. This is probably the most valuable insight of the book, the illustration of a very wide gap between the psychological makeup of East and West.
Rating: 
Summary: Ill researched, author unfamiliar with technical details
Review: This is, of course, a fascinating subject, but one I fear ill served by the present volume.Of the treasure ships and voyages there is the most meagre of outlines, and too often the author reveals a lack of familiarity with the techniques involved (e.g. the hull was built, and then covered in planks....) Mere conjecture often takes the place of research (the ships must have carried.....) and while a pleasant, if somewhat chaotic introduction to the subject, this volume is far far from a definitive work.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating book I keep re-reading and re-reading
Review: When Europe discovered East Africa they arrived with 3 battered ships about 80 feet long - when the chinese discovered it 300 years EARLIER they brought an armadda of 300 ships, some over 400 feet long, and over 28,000 men. With fascinating tales like these the writer holds your attention on a remarkable civilization that traded with half the world - and then suddenly stopped. This book explains why and covers the history of China over 1000 years, focusing on their trade and the shifting political landscapes of each dynasty. This is one of the most interesting books I've ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: Great History of China Starter
Review: While reading the book When China Ruled the Seas by Louise Levathes, I realized that my own knowledge of China has been slighted. This book chronicles the voyages of the Chinese people on the seas from the 7th century through the 15th century AD. Learning of the great naval feats and amazing voyages made by these competent sea-farers gives the reader a new perspective on the way the world could be today had China not scrapped their maritime industry. The book focuses much on the early 15th century AD. At a time when Europe was struggling to leave the Middle Ages behind them, the Chinese emperor was quickly building a large fleet of sea-worthy ships. The emperor Zhu Di commissioned his eunuch Zheng He to lead voyages reaching from India to Southeast Asia and from the Middle east to the Eastern Coast of Africa. This was a phenomenal accomplishment for humans in this period of time. By contrast the European countries didn't reach some of these places by boat until upwards of 300 years later. European ships were inferior to the European models, being less than ¼ the size of the large Chinese junks. Zheng He made seven voyages in all to various parts of the "Eastern" world. These voyages were made to collect tribute paid to the "Son of Heaven," the Chinese Emperor. By the height of China's maritime dominance, the dragon throne had built or refitted 1,681 ships. In 1433 Zheng He died, and the Emperor died as well. China's interests grew increasingly inward. Just a short 100 years after the great expeditions of Zheng He, it was a capital offense to trade abroad, or even to build ships worthy of sailing at sea. The book emphasizes that as China moved closer to the 19th century, and the Western world began its imperialism, China was kicked out of its position of World power. China still struggles today to regain the authority it feels it deserves. Great lengths were made to be historically accurate in this book. The author goes to great length to document and Index the events in the book. However, some critics of the book note that the author is hardly definitive in her effort to cover the topic of maritime China. No attention was paid to the detail of shipbuilding. The author does, however, use almost ten percent of the book to include notes, and full versions of some documents summarized in the book. Because the records of the Zheng He expeditions are lengthy, this book attempts to combine the accounts in one straightforward account. Ms. Levathes tells the story in an animated way, making the learning of this history an enjoyable one. However, When China Ruled the Seas poses some serious questions. After making my oral presentation on the book, the questions asked of me by the class and instructor were hard to answer. Why did these boats travel to the west? Why didn't the expeditions start earlier than the 15th century? Why did the expeditions end? In reading this book, one can speculate what the answers may be, but cannot find much discussion on these topics. In a way Ms. Levathes leaves these questions naked, and the reader wondering. In the beginning of the book Ms. Levathes names various motives for these voyages to take place. By the end of the book, these motives are not re-evaluated, and again the reader is left to his or her own discernment on the matter. Furthermore, she doesn't evaluate how these motives may have changed over the twenty-eight years over which they occurred. Readers also learn little about navigational methods that were used, an integral part of ocean-travel. The seasons would have affected the fleet and its voyages, and would determine how far these fleets could have, and would have traveled in each season. Reading this book from the Western viewpoint helps readers to understand China as it was when it was a major world power. Those from a Western tend to think of China as a backward country discovered and tamed by the civilized West. This book proves the opposite, and is effective in its approach to destroy old stereotypes. Many critics feel that the book lacks organization. I felt at times that the book was jumpy. Even though I learned a great deal from the book through illustrations, stories, and descriptions of the many ports visited by Zheng He on his expeditions, I have doubts of the importance of a text like this to a scholar. It seems that the book is more aimed towards the undergraduate who is beginning to learn about the inner workings of this ancient society and its reasons for a sudden boost in its maritime industry. Compared to other histories I have read, this history has been one of the easiest to read. I was pleased with the stories and narratives provided by the author, and the translators. Compared to other interpretations of a history of this subject, this book may be inferior, but has its place in curriculum in university studies. In pondering the superiority of Chinese ships and sea travel in the 15th century, I wonder how different the world would be if China would have discovered the American Continent from the east. Had the Chinese Empire maintained their maritime endeavors they may have. The fact that they may have discovered South America in the 7th century AD is quite possible. Learning about China's success in trading and travel has opened my mind to new ideas and concepts. Most interesting to me was the mention of Chinese influence in South America. The possibility of travel between the great Eastern Continent, and the great Western continents is intriguing to me. As I continue to learn more about the traditions of ancient civilizations, I understand the modern philosophies they presently maintain. China has come alive for me through reading this book, and the other texts I read in this class. Examples from the past are opening my mind to other viewpoints, and helping me understand new cultures, ideas and concepts.
Rating:
Summary: History & cultural lessons
Review: While the West was still dragging itself out of the Dark Ages, China had a thriving sea trade with India and Africa, and arguably with places as far off as South America and Australia, not to be beaten for hundreds of years. There is an incredible amount of history here, most of it unknown in the West, which sets the scene for the building of a massive trading fleet by the eunuch Admiral Zheng He, and his subsequent voyages of exploration. At least one type of ship was 400 feet long, at the time when Columbus's ships were under 100 - about 50 times the capacity. So what went wrong? What could stop such a powerful naval nation in its tracks? An Imperial Decree - forbidding sea voyages, considering them unproductive, uneconomic and, more importantly, un-Confucian - effectively shut the door on Chinese expansion and fostered the introversion that has only ceased in the last few years. Ms.Levathes has uncovered information hidden for years to present this highly informative and unusual subject in a very accessible form, although I did find the similarity of the Chinese names slightly confusing, which made for heavy reading at times. However, it still gets *****.
|
