Seven Voyages: How China's Treasure Fleet Conquered the Sea

by Laurence Bergreen, Sara Fray

Overview

From New York Times bestselling author Laurence Bergreen and author Sara Fray comes this immaculately researched history for young readers detailing the life of Zheng He, his complex and enduring friendship with his emperor, and the epic Seven Voyages he led that would establish China as a global power.

1405. The central coast of China.

At nearly seven feet tall, Admiral Zheng He looked out at the sea before him.

For the next three decades, the oceans would be his home, as he would command over 1,500 ships and thousands of sailors in seven journeys that would predate the heart of the European Age of Exploration. Over his seven epic journeys, Zheng He explored the Northern Pacific and Indian Oceans, traveling as far as the east coast of Africa, expanding Chinese power globally, warring with pirates, and capturing enemies along the way in the name of his emperor, Zhu Di. But this giant figure was not always at the helm of a ship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626721227
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	01/19/2021
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.27(w) x 9.34(h) x 0.79(d)
Lexile:	1230L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Laurence Bergreen is an award-winning author of Voyage to Mars: NASA's Search for Life Beyond Earth, Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life, and James Agee: A Life, each considered the definitive work on its subject. His work has been translated into twenty-five languages. A graduate of Harvard University, he lives in New York City.

Sara Fray was born and raised in New York City and attended Columbia University, where she studied East Asian Civilization and American History. Her young adult adaptation of Laurence Bergreen’s Magellan: Over The Edge Of The World was a selection of the Junior Library Guild in fall of 2017. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and their daughter.

Editorial Reviews

* "The research for this book must have been as formidable as the voyages, with the authors covering everything from Chinese daily life in the 1400s to shipbuilding and regional politics. It’s never overwhelming, though, since as well as being fascinating on their own, these facts contextualize the swashbuckling drama."—Booklist, starred review

From the Publisher

07/01/2021

Gr 5–8—Chinese history is often glossed over in world history curriculums, so this work is one that will interest real history buffs. Geared to sophisticated middle and high school readers, Bergreen and Fray's work opens with a vivid and exciting narration, grabbing readers as if embarking on an adventure novel, instead of a history book. The text quickly sinks into a litany of facts as the authors describe Zhu Di's climb to power as the Yongle Emperor during the Ming dynasty. The narration ebbs and flows, tedious at times, exciting at others as it delves into the various voyages of Zheng He and how his expansion of trade brought much power to the Chinese empire. The title is sparsely illustrated; the lack makes this a text-heavy title, which may disappoint young readers drawn to photos and illustrations. VERDICT This isn't a title for reluctant readers, but libraries looking to expand their coverage of Chinese history would do well to add this book to their collection.—Esther Keller, I.S. 278, Brooklyn

School Library Journal

2020-11-18
A broad account of the Ming dynasty’s maritime expeditions, led by a legendary admiral.

A dramatized standoff between pirates in the Strait of Malacca and the Treasure Fleet commanded by Zheng He (1371-1433) launches this work. Referencing numerous sources, the choppy narrative alternately plunges into geopolitical depths and zigzags among points of view, inundating readers with details that are difficult to digest without guidance or visual aids such as comparative timelines. “China was a nation divided against itself….Ethnic Chinese, Mongols, and Uighur tribespeople fought,” and similar declarations suggest an Orientalist-tinged lens on group identities, nationhood, and territoriality. The result: a hodgepodge of human geography mixed with economic calculations and strategic maneuvers in the name of Zhu Di (the self-styled Yongle emperor) that can be dizzying for readers navigating with no context or little prior knowledge. Certain chronicles, along with highlights of ship construction and nautical technologies, are vivid and engaging while scant maps, diagrams, and text panels do double duty in illustrating salient facts. In failing to center Zheng He—a multifaith diplomat of mixed ancestry who knew Arabic and prioritized linguistic and cultural knowledge—Bergreen and Fray sacrifice a cogent storytelling approach. Casting too wide a net, this volume flounders in its attempt to convey an intriguing chapter in anthropology and world history for young English-language readers.

This ambitious effort reads like textbook excerpts striving to be docudrama segments. (bibliography, notes on sources, index) (Nonfiction. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews