All I Need is a Tall Ship Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ming Dynasty

In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, China was actually actively trying to expand its power over nearby states. This was great news for potential seafarers, as China was easily the most powerful nation in the region and had plenty of resources to support a navy.

Unfortunately, in the late 1400s the country turned inward, restricted ship size, frowned upon foreign trade, and tried to get rid of historical documentation of Admiral Zheng's voyages.

Answer: 317 ships holding 28,000 men

The Ming Dynasty knew that to prove they had awesome power to people overseas, they had to send out a navy worthy of great respect. With that in mind, Zheng had under his control over 300 ships, some of which could hold up to 500 men. His force of 28,000 nearly equaled the size of the Union Army at the First Battle of Bull Run fought just over 450 years later, and that was only in one navy force.

There was actually good reason for the fleet to be so large. He brought over 60 treasure ships, and the rest of the fleet was made up of several smaller vessels. Equine ships naturally carried horses for when they landed at different locations. Supply ships carried food for the troops, and some reports also say that they had soil on top so that fresh food could actually be grown during the trip. The fleet also had water tankers, which supposedly held a month's worth of fresh water. Troop transports, warships, and patrols rounded out the massive force.

Answer: A large soccer (fútbol) field

Zheng's treasure ships are estimated to have measured just over 400 feet long and 150 feet wide, and could carry around 1,500 tons. These ships had nine masts and carried most of the essential personnel - Zheng, doctors, professional soldiers, etc. They also had enormous cargo space in order to bring back treasures from across the sea.

The smallest ships in the fleet were the patrols, estimated to be over 100 feet long, or about 150% the size of the Santa Maria.

Answer: Calicut

The first voyage did not have any significant historical moments except to kick off Zheng's series of voyages across the ocean. He reached as far up the western coast of India as Calicut, nearly 5,000 miles from Shanghai, the nearest major port to Nanjing, the then-capital city of China. The fleet returned in 1407, two years after setting off.

Answer: Kingdom of Kotte in Ceylon

In theory, it seems like carrying out a war against an enemy that has no hope of reinforcements or re-supply would normally work out for the other force. Unfortunately for Ceylon, this was not the case. The professional soldiers sent along with Admiral Zheng successfully defeated the attacking force despite having a home base riding on the waves of the Indian Ocean.

Answer: King Alagonakkara himself

Zheng occasionally brought back normal dignitaries and envoys from the nations he visited along his voyages, but following Ceylon's defeat in their land war, nothing was sufficient short of taking the king himself. King Alagonakkara apologized directly to the Emperor for his continued acts of piracy on Chinese vessels before the attack and for the attack itself.

It also ended up being a positive for Ceylon, as Parakramabahu VI took over soon afterwards and united the entire island.

Answer: Mecca

The fourth voyage marked China's first direct contact with Africa, and the fleet reportedly made it as far south down the coast as modern-day Kenya. They likely made contact with the Swahili people in Malindi, who had already accepted Islam centuries before, so Zheng had if nothing else one similarity despite their apparent enormous technological difference.

It would take roughly another 80 years for Portugal to arrive to establish naval bases along the coast and take control of the region.

Answer: He was Muslim

Zheng He, as well as being the most influential explorer in Chinese history, was also one of the most influential Muslims in Asian history. Previously, Asian Muslims had no possible way of actually completing the hajj, so Zheng and the Muslims in his crew became the first to have the opportunity.

There is no record of whether or not Zheng actually completed the Hajj, but either way Islam instantly became the most far-reaching religion and gave the opportunity for two completely distinct groups to have common ground.

Answer: He did all of the above while circumnavigating the globe

Menzies' "1421: The Year China Discovered America" claims that Zheng actually sailed around the globe discovering every unknown continent at the time (to the advanced civilizations, at least). Menzies, however, was a retired submarine commander and not an historian, and many of the routes that he takes to back up his claims are unorthodox at best, and at worst completely ignore known evidence to the contrary.

Answer: He claims Zheng left with over 300 ships and returned with every single one

Many, many other examples of faulty logic exist with the 1421 theory, from showing California as an island on the Zheng He Map (a common mistake by later European mapmakers) to claiming that the source of South American rice was Zheng, instead of from Africa as is factually the case.

While it makes for good reading, historical fact never takes full precedence in the book, and therefore has rightfully been labeled as "pseudohistory."

Answer: 9 months

Emperor Hongxi actually made several positive improvements to the Chinese Empire during his short reign, but for our purposes he decided to stop the fleet's voyages. At the same time, he put stops on frontier trade to put more of a focus on domestic policy.

However, he did not have the best health and died within a year of taking power. His son, Emperor Xuande, restored the order for continued voyages in trying to continue the perceived glory of his grandfather's reign.

Answer: Zheng died

Several reports claim that Zheng survived until 1435, two years after the fleet returned from its seventh voyage. However, most historians accept that Zheng died in 1433 on the return voyage. One thing is true either way for Zheng: he died doing what he loved.

Answer: Hai jin

The Hai jin order was put into place several times in order to stop foreign trade. The government burned all private boats, leading to (inherently) illegal black market trading that China could not tax. At the same time, people were forced to move several miles inland while soldiers destroyed their houses, and borderlines were established a certain distance from the coast where the soldiers would execute anyone stepping over the line.

Mingshi means the history of the Ming Dynasty, the Wokou were Japanese pirates, and Huangdi is simply a title meaning "Emperor."

Answer: They destroyed the records of Zheng's final voyages

One reason for the claims that Zheng circumnavigated the globe in his sixth voyage and the confusion of whether Zheng died during or after the return trip from the seventh voyage is that the later Ming Dynasty destroyed most of the records for both of those trips. Still, logic and other historical documents dictate the accepted versions of those last two trips. Several theories have been thrown out for why medieval China tried to turn away from its grand accomplishments, from not wanting Zheng (from Mongolian origin and a Muslim) to take the glory, to simply wanting to focus only on land power and defense, since China had never faced an overseas naval threat before.

Answer: July 11

According to China's "People's Daily Online," Maritime was initiated to celebrate Zheng's voyages, which went "as far as America 600 years ago." This was only two years after Menzies published his 1421 theory, so historians may not have had ample time to fully analyze it.

However, it is certainly possible that the added aura of the possibility that Zheng discovered America was thrown in just to add to the possible significance of the day. Either way, this naval hero certainly got what he deserved in his home country, 71 years after Christopher Columbus was given his own holiday in the United States.