Zheng He's Treasure Voyages

The treasure voyages show how far state-backed shipping could reach in the early 15th century, and how quickly a dominant network can vanish when its sponsor withdraws. The first voyage left in 1405 with about 27,800 men and 62 large treasure ships within a larger fleet, visiting Champa, Java, Malacca, Calicut, and Ceylon. Later voyages reached Hormuz and East Africa. After the last voyage the Ming court ended the expeditions. For shippers the lesson is familiar: trade lanes depend on the strategic choices of the carriers and governments behind them, so backup routings and more than one supplier protect supply.

• Lead TimeTime from purchase order to sellable stock
• Freight ForwarderBooks and manages international shipments

• Indian Ocean Monsoon Trade1st century BCE to 15th century · Ships time voyages to the seasonal monsoon winds
• Silk Road2nd century BCE to 15th century · Overland trade routes link China with the Mediterranean
• Venetian Arsenalc. 1104 · Venice builds galleys from standardized parts

1. Zheng He britannica.com
2. Yongle Emperor en.wikipedia.org
3. Timeline of the Ming treasure voyages en.wikipedia.org