China hails legacy of great adventurer

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Almost a century before Columbus, at a time when China was the richest and most advanced country in the world, Zheng He [also known as Cheng Ho] sailed further than anyone before him, at the head of an armada bigger than the combined fleets of all Europe.

Zheng He died on his last voyage in 1433.

The reason for the abandonment of the fleet was not just solely suspicion of the outside world - it was only part of it. After the last Mongol troops were driven out of China proper in 1380, the land borders of China were peaceful for several decades. In about 1420 this more peaceful era became to an end and more money and more troops were needed to defend the northern and western borders. Partly because of the defence of the northern borders the capital had been transferred from Nanjing to Beijing in 1403, and the rural areas around the new capital couldn´t support it´s populace and the court. The new capital needed a constant flow of food through the Grand Canal. Less and less money were available to the great sea expeditions as the new capital and the military stationed on the borders engulfed an ever increasing part of the state´s income.