Introduction
VISIT SHOP PAGE
In the years 1405-1433 Ming Dynasty China sailed the most impressive
fleets on the world's oceans. More than three hundred "treasure ships"
– several measuring 400 feet, more than four times the size of
Columbus' Santa Maria – made seven epic voyages through the China
Sea and Indian Ocean.
In this game you are a Chief Trader in this fleet, which carries costly
cargoes of the empire's finest silks, porcelains lacquer wares, tea and
wine. All of this is for you to exchange for gems, incense, medicine,
pearls, resin, spices, textiles, fine woods and fauna products.
You decide which of these products to bring to trade with foreign ports,
and using the knowledge that you alone possess, which ports to visit. Can
you be the Trader who brings home the treasure that most impresses the
Emperor and Court and thereby win the game?
Design Notes
Market model. Unlike most trading games, prices change every turn, not just prices of the items to be purchased, but also the very commodities used to make purchases, that is, the players' money itself. As in real life, prices do not change wildly, but move slightly and every once in a while make a big jump.
Purchasing Dilemmas. Players seek to use their money only when it has its highest value, but this is difficult to predict. Moreover, extra value for the end of the game can be had if they have a monopoly on certain types of items so they will want to buy those. But that might not be the right time to buy in terms of the value of their money.
Voting. Players decide which types of items will come for trade on each of the 5 rounds by voting on the next port to visit. Each port has a different offering.
Quick play. Players purchase goods via "once around" auctions so values are set accurately, but it does not take a long time.
Balancing. A player who does not get to purchase something gets information about one or two ports and can even influence this information a bit.
Theme. Depicts the actual commodities and ports that featured in real life with extensive background notes about them.
Background
Zheng He is a fascinating character. Born a Muslim of Central Asian heritage – the part of the world that is farther from the sea than any other – his original name was Ma He, a child of captured people. A eunuch, he kept his testicles in a box on his person, as was the practice then. He had commanded forces that defended an important reservoir in civil war and helped capture the capital, Nanjing, earning the emperor's trust, for whom he performed amazing feats, including the construction of great fleets and epic journeys. The emperor gave him not only a Chinese surname, but also blank scrolls with the imperial seal, so the admiral could issue imperial orders at sea.
The Chinese treasure fleet made seven great voyages. The first three reached Calicut on India's Malabar Coast, while the fourth went all the way to Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. Later voyages reached the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa.
Historians debate the dimensions of the treasure ships, but estimates vary from 440 to 660 feet long. Not all ships were this size, but the entire fleet comprised at least two hundred ships, made with bamboo-inspired bulkheads to avoid sinking in case of puncture. They carried 180 doctors, and "astrologers" who employed star charts for navigation. They had supply ships that carried enough water to last a month, cattle on the hoof and wooden tubs in which grew herbs and vegetables. They grew and ate soy that helped them to avoid scurvy.
The fleet carried considerable military ability, including a form of fire cannon, the ability to launch explosive missiles and plenty of soldiers. On one of its return trips at Palembang (Sumatra) the fleet confronted Chen Zuyi, a pirate leader, who had seized the port and dominated the vital Malaccan Strait. Chen's forces tried to evade the treasure fleet, but they defeated it in battle, reportedly killing five thousand pirates and taking seven ships and burning ten others. They captured and executed Chen and his lieutenants. The Ming court appointed a Pacification Superintendent of Palembang, establishing an ally and securing future access to the important port.
On the diplomatic front, foreign envoys from Calicut, Quilon, Semudera, Aru, Malacca and other unspecified nations accompanied the fleet and visited the Ming court to pay homage and present tribute in their local products. Zheng He and the fleet also performed the formal investiture of the the King of Calicut.
On the second voyage, the fleet settled the enmity between China and Java. During a civil war there the king of West Java had killed 170 members of a Chinese trade mission who had come ashore in his rival's territory at East Java. The Ming court demanded 60,000 liang (50 grams) of gold for compensation and atonement, warning that they would dispatch an army to punish the Javanese ruler for his crime if he failed to comply, and pointing out that they had successfully invaded Vietnam recently, for example. The King of West Java sent an envoy to the Ming court to admit guilt for the incident. China accepted the payment and apology, and restored diplomatic relations.
On the third voyage Admiral Zheng He and a few of his troops traveled overland into Kotte, in Sri Lanka because the local potentate lured them in. The potentate then cut the admiral and his two thousand troops off from the fleet anchored at Colombo and planned an attack on the fleet. In response, the admiral and his troops invaded Kotte and conquered the capital. They took the potentate and his followers into captivity. When their army returned, the Chinese defeated them in battle repeatedly. The admiral and the fleet departed in safety, with their captives back to China.
On the fourth voyage the fleet stopped at northern Sumatra during the return journey. There they encountered Sekandar, younger brother of the former king, who had usurped the throne at Semudera. As the admiral prepared his attack to result in restoration of the rightful ruler, Sekandar led his forces out and attacked, but was defeated. The Chinese caught Sekandar and his supporters and restored the rightful king.
After the fleet's return, rulers of 18 countries sent envoys bearing tribute to the Ming court.
After the sixth voyage, the emperor died. His successor had less interest in the voyages and terminated them after the seventh such. The emperor appointed Zheng Defender of Nanjing, where he completed the Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, an enormous pagoda still described as a wonder of the world as late as the 19th century.
The mariner Gavin Menzies suggests that the treasure fleet also visited Australia, Antarctica, North America, even Europe. Was it possible? It certainly appears feasible. Did it happen? Archaeology traditionally depends on two supports. The first are texts that indicate what happened. This Menzies would seem to have, in the form of maps that appear to pre-date Columbus' voyages. The second support are material finds in the ground or sea to support the first. These have yet to appear, though to Menzies' credit, he is plowing the proceeds from his best sellers into trying to find them. Time will tell.
