Accompanied by 27,000 men in 62 large and 255 small ships, Chinese eunuch Zheng He led 7 naval expeditions to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the coastal eastern Africa within the year of 28 years during the Ming Dynasty. The size of Zheng He's fleet was unprecedented in world history. The large treasure ships used on expeditions were assumed to be 440 feet long and 180 feet wide (Dreyer, p. 102). During his travels, Zheng He brought Chinese tea, porcelain, and silk products to foreign countries, and also brought back exotic goods to the Ming court such as spices, plants, and leather. Although his travels promoted trade and cultural exchange between China and foreign countries, the goal of his expeditions stemmed from the political motivation of maintaining the tributary system, and his travels had important political implications in causing Neo-Confucian opposition and suspension of the shipment. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, China was one of the most economically and technologically advanced countries in the world. As Ebrey pointed out, “Europe was not yet a force in Asia, and China continued to look at the outside world in traditional terms.” In the early 15th century, China was considered the center of Asia, and the idea of ​​the “Middle Kingdom” (Zhong guo) began to gain traction around that time. The early Ming emperors were not at all interested in promoting commercial trade. Emperor Hongwu, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, implemented the Haijin Policy which prohibited maritime navigation and private foreign trade outside the tributary system (Ebrey, p. 209). Emperor Yongle, son of Emperor Hongwu, reversed this policy to some extent when he ordered the travels of his eunuch Zheng He. However, he was only interested in… middle of paper… age. Subsequent emperors had no such interest in foreign affairs and stopped expensive travel. The lack of imperial political interests and support in naval expeditions to foreign countries was the main reason why China withdrew from the ocean after Zheng He's 7 voyages. However, the political significance and legacy of Zheng He's expeditions cannot be ignored. He strengthened the power and influence of the Middle Kingdom in Asia during the early years of the Ming dynasty. The peaceful nature of Zheng He's travels is still used today by the Chinese government as a political tool to support the benevolent intention of contemporary Chinese foreign policy (Dreyer, p. 29). Works Cited1. Edward L. Dreyer. Zheng He: China and the Oceans in the Early Ming Dynasty, 1405-1433.2. Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. Cambridge Illustrated History: China, 2nd ed. (2010).