Questions

1. From what you can tell from the account, what were the purposes of Zheng He’s voyages?

Zheng He’s was elected at the age of ten to be a eunuch. The purpose of his voyage was “to go and confer presents on them in order to make manifest the transforming power of the (imperial) virtue and to treat distant people with kindness.”
Later on in the text, it is mentioned that they are also doing this in part to serve their dynasty.
2. What is tribute and how did it function in the Chinese world order?
Tribute is referred to as “The precious objects refer to tribute sent to the emperor of China by various other countries. The fundamental principle by which the Chinese international order was governed was the tribute system. Foreign princes would send tribute to the emperor of China. Tribute often consisted of rare and precious local items, such as the giraffe sent from Africa. The foreign rulers would acknowledge that the emperor of China was the son of heaven, and would often adopt the Chinese calendar. In return, the Chinese would send gifts, often of value equal to or exceeding those presented as tribute. But the most important benefit was the formation of a peaceful and stable diplomatic relationship among the two countries. One of the main purposes of Zheng He’s voyages was to reinforce existing and create new tributary relationships.”
3. Where is the account of the voyage written down?
The account of the voyage is written down in a stele; a stone.

4. From what sorts of records do we find accounts of East Africa from other perspectives?

The records of East Africa come from the Ming Dynastic History, Swahili oral accounts, the accounts of Ibn Battuta, and Duarte Barbosa’s Account of Brava.
5. If you follow all the links, you will discover that two of them mention the city of Mecca. Which two, and is it just a coincidence?
*The first link in which it mentions Mecca is in Zheng He’s link. It talks about how his family was originally surnamed Ma, and his father’s name bore the designation Haji, indicating that he had gone on a pilgrimage to Mecca.
*The second link which mentions Mecca is in the Mohammed link. “Mohammed (or Muhammed) was born in Mecca on the Arabian Peninsula in the year 570. He died in the year 632. Mohammed was a prophet and religious messenger and founder of the religion of Islam. His teachings are preserved in the Koran, the sacred book of Islam.”
6. What information about political authority can you glean from each of the four different perspectives on East Africa (15th-century Chinese, 14th-century North African, 16th-century Portuguese and Swahili oral traditions)?
The information gathered from the 15th-century Chinese is that the Portuguese were attempting to bring the Coast under Portuguese control.
The information gathered from the 14th-century North African is about the relations with Trade of China and Eastern Archipelago and the coasts of the Indian Ocean.
The information gathered from the 16th-century Portuguese and Swahili oral traditions is that in the oral histories, ties between the two peoples are typically cemented by marital and political alliances, although some refer to periods of warfare as well.
7. What can you infer from Fei Xin, Duarte Barbosa, Ibn Battuta and the Swahili oral histories about what goods were traded to and from the East Coast of Africa?
Some of the things that were traded to and for the East Coast of Africa traded dried fruits, fish, garlic, and onions for gold, silk, silver, satins, silks, rice, beans, and chinaware, and also animals.