Silk Road Project: Zhu He

Autobiography

Autobiography

Ni Hao! My name is Zhu He, which when directly translated to english means Vermillion harmony. I am directly classified as a Hui chinese merchant living in China. More Specifically, I come from the Muslim sector of Chang'an. I practice Islam, as do many of the civilians in my community, who go to the mosque to pray five times a day. Our religious activities are generally led by the Imam, who is known to be the individual leading ouThis image shows tea, which was one of the major trade items from chinar prayers. One of the major festivals celebrated in my culture is Bairam, which marks the end of Ramadan or 'fasting month'. Furthermore, my native language is Chinese, however I am able to communicate through some Arabic and Persian words that I have retained.

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Autobiography Part 2

It is currently the year 1307 C.E; the year in which the yuan dynasty has taken power in china under the Mongolian Empire. As a merchant, I am bound to take multiple journeys in order to fulfill my labor. I am specifically taking this trip for a number of reasons. Mainly, I would like to reach Cairo and trade items from china such as silk, porcelain, and tea. Furthermore, I plan to stop in Malacca in order to trade some of my goods for cinnamon and nutmeg; items I will then sell in the Cairo market. I then plan to stop in Ahmedaba for the same reason, retrieving items such as pepper. I also plan to attend lectures at Al-Azhar University, where I will be given opportunities to gain knowledge. Most important to me and my faith, I also want to take this journey in order to fulfill one of my seven pillars; going to the hajj.

Map of Journey

Al-Azhar University

Xi'an/Chang'an

Khan el Khalili market

Map of Journey

Cairo

GuangZhou

Mecca

Malacca

Ahmedaba

Primary Source

Primary Source

H Missionaries were sent to places in India to establish Christian communities, as in the case with Prester John. This established religious position was reflected in an increase of power, fostering the rise of the tributary system.

A This work is written for subjects under the lands of the Soldan and in Cairo, the final destination for Zhu He.

P The purpose of this work is to allow Soldan subjects to realize their relationship with the Christians and the determination of specific actions as a result. This is shown with these subjects “[marching] with those of this Preston John,” showing their perceived forthright togetherness in face of regional subordination with tribute.

P This work is communicated by Simon Sigoli, the traveller who documented the predecessor canal of the Mahmudiah being Il Caligine. Sigoli also documented populations, and his actions show a rather unbiased viewpoint, being limited in sway by the powers in the quote.

Y Sigoli made this account to, in general, highlight the impact of the tributary system on the relationship between empires, whether empirical or ecclesiastical. Also, he states the power that comes from perceived control over geographic and natural features, the “river sluices” and the resulting river being “the Nile itself.”

Methods of Travel

While upon the Silk Roads and spice trade routes, I travel by horse and camel. Through Xi’an to Guangzhou, Malacca to Ahmedabad, Mecca to Cairo, I am accompanied by human attendants, also known as grooms and caravaneers. The majority are foreigners, mostly westerners wearing conical hats, experts in animal training. The camel I am riding on is a Bactrian camel, able to carry up to 500 pounds, covered in bags of water and resources I am using to trade. There are other options of transportation that my companions have decided to select, such as the recent integration of Mongol horses, favored for their hardiness and ability to sustain harsh winter conditions. Upon my departure and return from Guangzhou, as well as my journey from Ahmedabad to Mecca, I sail the seas with other travelers on the fast and efficient junk. The junk is composed of a number of horizontal panels made by bamboo for better aerodynamics, a stern mounted rudder, multiple masts, watertight hull sections, and to the corner of my eye I see one of those magnetic compasses, used by maritime travelers since the early twelfth century.

Goods Traded

The people of courts have brought, fine Chinese porcelain, silk, and bronze products which given to me. Trade goods will ensure my position and it will allow me to see the other side of world; the market. From the advice of merchants who travel along the Silk Road recommended me to bring more silk than porcelain because porcelain are easy to break apart and they are heavier than silk. Either way, all the fine Chinese secret goods will be appreciated to any market and I will be able to acquire new and interesting products. The merchant also showed me its fabric of birthplace of Buddha (India). It had splendid patterns that I have never saw before. The contrast of color holds a “foreign” taste which was very different from what I thought to be considered beautiful in China. It holds its beauty inside which differentiate the different civilization which I'm about to experience through myself.

Xi'an

1307 C.E.

Xi'an

As I look back at my homeland and all of its developments and achievements in the past, I think about the Tang Dynasty. Xi'an, formerly called Chang'an, was established as the capital in 581 C.E. by the Sui Dynasty, the location near the confluence of the Wei and Feng Rivers, if I recall, being determined by divination with reference to astrological signs. I remember that during the Tang Dynasty (618-904), Xi'an was the most populous, cosmopolitan, and civilized city I've known of. Filled with teeming markets, Xi'an helped facilitate western impact on elite Chinese products. Chang'an survived as a major religious center for Buddhism and Taoism; as time passed, a growth of other religions were integrated, such as Zoroastrianism, Nestorianism, and Manichaeism, shown by the arrival of monasteries. After a period of rebellions and revolts, Xi’an yet again entered a period of growth and economic prosperity. China is currently under the reign of the Yuan Dynasty and protection of the Pax Mongolica, the treaty being established just three years ago. Merchants such as I are experiencing a greater fluctuation of trade since the Silk Roads are under a single state, flourishing maritime trade, facilitated people, and cultural exchanges. I better take advantage of this newly advantageous opportunity and make a profit by trading off spices and exotic products to other cities on the Silk Roads. I’ll be traveling by camel until Guangzhou.

Guangzhou

As I arrived to the ports of Guangzhou, I admire the development it has experienced throughout its lifetime. Untouched by the Mongols, Guangzhou sits at the southern coast of China and has been flourishing for the last millennium. Guangzhou grew in wealth and population as an important trade route in southern China and maritime trade in general. I visit the Guangzhou Huaisheng Mosque that was erected during the Tang Dynasty, named in the memory of the Prophet Muhammad. As I continue to explore down the streets in search of better products, there are plenty of Muslim edicts and Buddhist temples throughout Guangzhou. Peace and economic advantages came with the acceptance of Buddhism, attracting Arab and Hindu traders, who maintained the temples. I trade silk, tea, and porcelain, for a couple better valued exotic products to distribute elsewhere.

Malacca

As I dock upon the ports of Malacca, I recall that the strategic city is located on the southern region of the Malay Peninsula and at the border of the Strait of Malacca, making its economically and militarily advantageous. I visit the major port of the spice-route, docking with other Chinese junks and spice-loaded vessels from all over the world. The monsoons were always blowing from the right position and so made Malacca a safe place to be. A growth in visitors and merchants from both the unification of the Silk Roads and routes has been experienced currently. Exploring the vast and crowded city, I spy both Buddhist and Islamic monasteries and shrines. While visiting the busy markets of Malacca, I stop to admire the Chinese silk and porcelain, Indian Gujarat and Coromandel textiles, Borneo camphor, Timor sandlewood, Moluccas nutmeg, mace, and cloves, Sumatra gold and pepper, western Malaysian tin being traded. I buy a couple cloves of nutmeg and cinnamon to earn a hefty profit in Cairo.

Ahmedaba

Ahmedabad; The city in India have brought me many surprises. One of the surprise is that Buddhism had little influence in this city compared to China and other eastern nations. People have valued hinduism ideas and customs which directly influenced their lifestyle. Another surprise was the massive construction that was going on around the area. Its rulers were ordering its people to build a massive well with stairs. Its structures and effort put in seems like it was a temple for gods. As for every civilization, water is the base of human lives and its civilization. The Indus valley civilization has realized that which resulted for this action to be common throughout.

Ahmedabad is also famous for its spice since it connected the silk route to the spice route. I traded some silk and porcelain to try out various types of spices.

Mecca

Mecca; the center and birthplace of Islam, flourished with markets. These markets were established by the Islamic merchants. These Islamic merchants spoke in Arabic and have adopted numerals from India, Being able to communicate with the major places of trade and calculate the profits using the numerals (use of zero).Doing the hajj, thousands of people travel to Mecca which was a splendid view. The way how people devout to religion and what they believe in was common trait all of the places I visited so far. Many had similar factors and common bases; the way of human race. At the end of of my stay, I traded my fine silk with rosary beads and ceramics which was very different from Chinese porcelain and departed to my last destination; Cairo.

Cairo

This massive center of Egypt have been giving influences beyond its borders and continents. Located near the coast of northern Egypt and next to the Nile River, Cairo proved a economically advantageous city. Along the trade routes, I was able to see the massive structure of pyramid as I approach to its city. (Pyramid was the highest structure that humankind made until the eiffel tower in Paris was build) Not only the size of pyramid was massive but also the market. The ancient egyptians were able to establish the great Nile river trade route which made it to a massive market alone. The influence from Alexander the Great and Islam have brought Cairo into more a international city than any other places that I have visited. I was able to successfully trade some gold, papyrus, and spices with my porcelain.

Summary

The lands I traveled from Xi'an to Cairo, including intermediary states thither, were a great success. As a Chinese merchant, success is defined as trading off goods for products of better value, or exotic goods. But, this trade was only made possible with the inclusion of these factors: the Pax Mongolica, the location of cities, and the unification of trade routes. This ensured my safety whilst traveling, introduced to be to bustiling cosmopolitan societies, and decreased my travel time through newfound integration. Also, I noticed the prevalence of different religions in different lands. Ahmedaba, for example, had prevalance in Hinduism while Mecca had prevalence in Islam. But, the fact that all these lands I visited had religions shows the common dependence on religion in guiding many aspects of civilization. In experiencing so many religions and the increase of such in my homeland, I am longing to see my brethren back in Chang'an for some time spent stationary, but we know that won't last.

Works Cited