The incredible voyages of Zheng He
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe some of the voyages of Zheng He.
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.
Teacher tip
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.
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
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What type of transport would a seafarer use?
Q2.Who travelled and lived in longboats?
Q3.What is a voyage?
Q4.What sort of activity happens in places called ports?
Q5.What do archaeologists study?
Q6.What did Vikings use a sun-shadow board for?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which country was Zheng He from?
Q2.What special name was used for the ships Zheng He sailed in?
Q3.What was the main reason for Zheng He's voyages?
Q4.Which continent did Zheng He reach on his furthest journey?
Q5.How do we know about Zheng He's journeys?
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
To help you plan your 1 history lesson on: The incredible voyages of Zheng He, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 1 history lesson on: The incredible voyages of Zheng He, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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