Did Chinas worldview cause an abrupt

end to its voyages of exploration?

Ladessa Phillips

Within this reading, there were two viewpoints. The first is Journalist Nicholas D Kristof,

his thesis idea says yes, that due to the worldview of China, shaped by years of cultural and

philosophical conditioning had the main responsibility for the decision not to continue the

program. In contrast, Naval historian Bruce Swanson says, that the worldview of China, while it

helped influence the decision, was not in actuality the biggest factor. He believe that other more

practical considerations were a more influencing factor.

Mr. Kristof writes a very compelling argument for China having ceased to use the oceans

because of the complacent worldview they held. According to Mr. Kristof, China felt that none

of the other countries of the world were civilized or posed a threat to their comfortable lives This

complacency led to the belief that there was nothing to learn from the “barbarians” in other

lands. Asia’s most prolific ethos during Ancient times was Confucianism, and as Confucius had

said it was wrong for man distant voyage while his parents were alive, and profit was a concern

of the “little man.” However, Mr. Kristof writes as a journalist and someone who lives within the

country. In this case he speaks as one who will see the trees but not the forest.

Mr. Swanson on the other hand believes that there were varied other reasons for China’s

abrupt end to the voyages and exploration of their navy. As a Naval historian Mr Swanson is

more apt to look for defensive or economic reasons for this problem. There were, in Mr

Swanson’s estimation, many factors that attribute to the decline of China’s maritime spirit, the
first of these was the Grand Canal. When this Canal reopened to allow the shipment of grain to

inland China many coastal fleets were moved to working in the canal instead. This reopening of

the Canal helped to cause a shift of the peoples near the coast to the inner lands of China.

Military issues also cropped up, taking more money from the treasury, as well as corruption in

the government. This corruption bled out to the point the merchants on the edges of the coast

were also corrupt leading to piracy. Soon scholars stepped up in the ebb and flow of political life,

they had a hatred of the corrupt eunuchs of the government and worked together until that power

was removed from them and caused laws to be taken outlawing any ship bigger than a 2 mast

junk.

This was probably the worst thing China could have done, because as their country was

pulling back their maritime ties, the rest of the world was taking their first major journeys into

the Asian waters.