Currently the Chinese Government is building up its war machine. It is buying Russian High-Tech Mig Fighters and building ships and submarines. Many in the present period do not see the Chinese as a super power on the Water or the kind of nation with a huge Navy, yet for those who doubt Chinese ambitions for a Super Power of the Seas forget History. You see over one hundred years before the Magellans 1519 voyage was the height of the Chinese Treasure Fleet and these were no ordinary ships. At the peak period of 1405-1433 the Chinese Treasure Fleet had ships as big as 440 to 500 feet long and they were the first to use bulkhead construction to make them strong so they could build them bigger. Presumably these bulkheads were designed by copying nature, bamboo poles to be exact. Some of the Chinese Treasure Fleet ships towered over three stories about the deck. In fact much of the Chinese History of maritime exploits go back to the Song Dynasty of 960-1279 AD. They had mapped nearby oceans and traveled much of the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. This continued thru the Ming Dynasty and the Chinese had one of the largest seaports ever in the history of mankind in Gangtan. They promoted trade with the world by sea. The famous Admiral Zheng traveled to 37 countries between the 1405 and 1433 and the Dynasty had 317 Ships and 37,000 men. After Zheng died there was a rise of Confucianism and a more introspective displacement and inward rather than outward view of the world and the Navy slowly disbanded. But the first real Navy of the World was Chinese, it was not a European Power. So for those who doubt the power of the many and potential of Chinas war machine, well you are simply ignorant of history and what the Chinese are capable of. You see the Chinese understand their roots and history and know what they can do. Think on this. |
