Sailing the oceans电子课件3.pptVIP

Unit 2　Sailing the oceans;WHO WAS ZHENG HE? (Li Huaying＝LH, Celia Main＝CM) LH：The most famous Chinese navigator was Zheng He. He lived from 1371 to 1433 and made seven voyages around the South China Sea, across to India and even as far as the eastern coast of Africa. It was the 600th anniversary of these voyages in 2005. CM：Are there other famous Chinese navigators or is he the only one? LH：He is the only one weve got evidence for.;CM：So there may have been others? LH：We dont know. Thats because a later Emperor may have destroyed a lot of evidence of other voyages. CM：I see. Where did Zheng He go? LH：The documents tell us that he was born in Yunnan. He built a pillar to record his achievements. It states that he made seven voyages and visited more than thirty countries. He said that the Emperor ordered him to show the strength of Chinese power and meet “foreigners from beyond the seas”. So he went to unknown places and set up trade. CM：Tell me about his voyages.;LH：Well, on his first voyage he visited Calicut in India. The people there were very impressed and a little frightened when they saw so many large ships. So the ruler wisely decided to make friends with these strangers. He gave Zheng He many scarves made of gold and decorated with jewels. Then he entertained him and his men with music and songs. CM：Did he go to other places? LH：Yes, on other voyages he visited Champa, and Sumatra near China, Hormuz, and Aden in the Persian Gulf and Mogadishu in Africa. Zheng He opened diplomatic relations with them and gave them presents.;CM：What did the Chinese offer as gifts? LH：Zheng He found that foreign kings particularly admired Chinese porcelain and silk. So thats why his ships were filled with those things. CM：I see. Is that why they say his ships were so large? LH：Yes, I suppose so. When he returned from India he brought a giraffe for the Emperor as a present. So his ships must have been large. CM：Some writers say that the ships could carry as many as 20,000 peop