Zheng He was an explorer, diplomat, and admiral from China that lived during the Ming Dynasty. Throughout centuries and even in recent decades, Zheng He and his expeditions have been politicized and remembered as an envoy of peace. His expeditions were widely praised and moreover exaggerated by nationalistic individuals who were proud of the past (Ptak 1). What those individuals create is the huge romanticzation of Zheng He as an individual and his expeditions. Similar to the story of the Three Kingdoms and figures such as Zhuge Liang and the Liu Guan Zhang brothers, Zheng He was greatly glorified and honored and became a prominent figure in Chinese history and literature.
One reason why Zheng He’s personification is this way is due to his platform which ultimately pushed for his positive image. The expeditions he took were extremely dangerous and arduous and with that, he was able to bring back commodities, geographical knowledge and spread Chinese culture and religion which were all part of most imperial and even modern China’s
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If one were to write an accurate depiction, they may want to include his success as well as his failures. In others, one should include more than just the highlight of his successes, but also how he attained and controlled the factors pertaining to his success. For example, some scholars argued that his accomplishments in trade rooted from maritime colonialism and the use of threats to project power control among the seas (Branigan). On the other hand, if one were to simply write an intriguing novel that adds on to the positive politizaion of Zheng He, one should include a structured storyline that slowly builds on to Zheng He’s character. Despite high degrees of politization which led to high degrees of romanticzation, Zheng He’s accomplishments were extremely admirable and is arguable the reason why the Ming Dynasty was such a global superpower at its