Bangkok--17 Oct--Image Impact
Program Title: The Chinese Armada - Dragons of the Sea
Telecast date: Sunday, October 19, 2008
Telecast Time: 7.00 p.m. (Thai)
At the end of the 14th century, the Ming Emperor Zhu Di commands the construction of a gigantic fleet. Loaded with silk, porcelain and other precious goods, the ships are intended to export the riches of the sophisticated Chinese culture to the mostly unknown world beyond the Chinese Sea. Admiral Zheng He is the man in charge of this challenging task and succeeds in advancing as far as Africa.
Up to this day, little is known of his voyages of discovery. Even more mysterious is the motivation behind this gigantic undertaking. In contrast to the Europeans, who only set foot in this part of the world a century later, the Chinese did not establish any colonies, let alone claimed possession of the regions they discovered. On the contrary — shortly after Zheng He returned from his seventh journey in 1433, the Emperor put an end to all overseas expeditions. The proud fleet of Zheng He slowly decayed whilst anchored in the ports. The Chinese Empire once again withdrew into its shell, far away from the rest of the world.