鄭和의 出使와 인도양 네트워크

Abstract

The study is intended to examine the significance of Zhenghe(鄭和)'s voyage to the Indian Ocean in the history of civilization. It is assumed that the Ming Dynasty would collect intellectual resources as many as it could share to dispatch approximately 27,000 fleets and it made active use of sailing guides which had been handed down from Islam in the Song and Yuan Dynasties and Chinese classical books for sailing. The area which rose from those geography books was the West sea(西洋), that is, the surroundings of the Indian Ocean. At that time, empires in the Indian Ocean of Sumatra and westward grew to be trade partners of China by supplying pepper and cotton. Zhenghe's advancing aimed to secure sea routes in the beginning, but from the 4th sailing his destination and preparatory process were changed. Chencheng(陳誠)'s advancing towards along the countries to the west region of China(西域) that is carried with Zhenghe Fleets' 4th sailing showed that the Ming Dynasty advanced strategically toward this area. Yongle di wanted to make the West sea the strategic target of state administration, secure legitimacy as a emperor, and announce the founding of Ming Dynasty. A destination which was appropriate for the Yongle di's strategy had to be a place of strategic importance where many countries and peoples came for trade. The Red Sea and the Arabian Sea were important gates through which land products were delivered to the Indian Ocean and central points to the Indian Ocean Network. In particular, Hormuz was a central point of business which sent products from the Indian Ocean to land. Products collected from many areas of the Indian Ocean were traded at that central point by Arab and Persian merchants and were exported to the Central Asia, China and the Mediterranean Sea. The Indian Ocean formed a network which connected hinterlands to land routes as the largest place of civilization. Although this network got out of the control of the Central Asia by Mongol, it was still under the influence of Mongol. Yongle di dispatched a large-scale delegation to advance to the world largest place. It was achieved through trade, not war. He visited Mecca at the final sailing in order to enhance power of Ming Dynasty, which was a very effective choice. As for the history of civilization, Yongle di had strategic goals to secure a place connected by the Indian network rather than securing a simple sea route. The Islamic world, which was ruled by Arab and Persian traders, was the world's largest trading market connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa, and shared religion and culture with other people. He sailed through the Indian Ocean to head for the Indian network, which strategically involved many civilized countries.