中国早期的地球观对明朝远洋航行的影响

The Influence of Early Chinese Views of the Terrestrial Sphere on Long Distance Ocean Voyages of the Ming Dynasty

今年是郑和南海首航600周年纪念日。1405年由明成祖发起,由太监提升为将领的郑和开发了新的远洋航行。这一创举,比哥伦布发现美洲大陆几乎早了一个世纪。郑和的航海船队,由62艘海船和37000官兵及海员组成。他们最远到过非洲东部海岸,沿途走访了亚洲南部沿海三十多个国家,其中不少国家同意向明朝进贡。在以后的28年里,郑和曾六次下西洋。然而,正如其突如其来的开始一样,航海探险活动也嘎然而止了。如何解释拥有优越航海技术的海上霸主,竟不能像后来的西方列强一样,去寻找更远的新大陆呢?本文并非对大多数传统解释提出挑战,旨在说明中国古代天圆地方的观念阻碍了其所有更具雄心的海上探险。

This year is the sexcentennial of Zheng He’s ocean voyages. Initiated by Emperor Chengzu of the Ming dynasty in 1405, the taijian (chief eunuch) Zheng He was elevated to the rank of admiral (jiangling) and despatched on the rst of a number of long-distant ocean voyages. This was more than one century before Columbus embarked on his voyage that resulted in the discovery of the Americas. Zheng He’s armada, comprising 62 ocean-going vessels and 37,000 troops and sailors, travelled as far as the eastern seaboard of Africa and visited more than 30 nations in southern Asia, many of which agreed to present tribute to the Ming dynasty court. Over the next twenty eight years Zheng He commanded another six voyages to the Indian Ocean. Yet these voyages came to an end with the same suddenness with which they were launched initially. How are we to explain that the superior maritime technology that these voyages put to use was not deployed later in the manner of the Western powers which went on to discover new continents? The author does not dispute existing long-standing explanations, but focuses on demonstrating how the ancient Chinese cosmological knowledge of the shape of the earth was an impediment to more adventurous undertakings.