New
New
Year 1
The incredible voyages of Zheng He
I can describe some of the voyages of Zheng He.
New
New
Year 1
The incredible voyages of Zheng He
I can describe some of the voyages of Zheng He.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Zheng He was a Chinese admiral and explorer and made his final voyage of discovery in 1432, which would be his furthest.
- First stopping at Changle on the Chinese coast, he ordered the inscription of granite stele describing his journeys.
- Zheng He had made six other voyages in the seas of South East Asia and across the Indian Ocean.
- These voyages, made in huge 'treasure ships', were to show off Chinese power and force foreign rulers to pay tribute.
- Having travelled to East Africa, the expedition returned, but without Zheng He, who had died and was buried at sea.
Keywords
China - China is a country in Asia
Admiral - an admiral is a person in charge of many ships and sailors
Seafarer - a person who often explores new places by sea is a seafarer
Stele - a stele is a large piece of carved rock showing a story or information
Common misconception
Pupils may think that Zheng He went on his voyages by himself.
He was admiral of the Chinese fleet. He took many ships and lots of sailors on the voyages.
Be sure to differentiate between the name "He" and the pronoun "he". "He" is pronounced like 'hay' and always has a capital letter, whereas 'he' only has a capital letter if it appears at the start of a sentence.
Teacher tip
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
What type of transport would a seafarer use?
a train
a bicycle
Q2.
Who travelled and lived in longboats?
early Polynesian explorers
early humans
Q3.
What is a voyage?
a holiday in another country
a hike in the countryside
Q4.
What sort of activity happens in places called ports?
flying
running
Q5.
What do archaeologists study?
the paths of birds
objects from the future
Q6.
What did Vikings use a sun-shadow board for?
sleeping
moving boats through the water
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Which country was Zheng He from?
Japan
India
Q2.
What special name was used for the ships Zheng He sailed in?
sailing ships
cargo ships
Q3.
What was the main reason for Zheng He's voyages?
to explore new countries and places
to show the sailors how to sail a ship
Q4.
Which continent did Zheng He reach on his furthest journey?
Asia
Europe
America
Q5.
How do we know about Zheng He's journeys?
Stories were written in books.
stories were told to children
Q6.
Match the words to the definitions.
a person in charge of ships and sailors
a rock with information carved into it
a person who often explores new places by sea
a country in Asia
Additional material
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