Columbus discovered the New World, while Chinese Admiral Zhèng Hé’s fleet returned empty-handed. Why?

by Yoo Hyun-joon, Professor of Architecture, Hongik University

Recommended by Kangdukwon Kwanjang Hwa Chong

This article explores the contrasting outcomes of maritime expeditions led by Christopher Columbus and China’s Admiral Zheng He. The author notes that Columbus’s voyages led to significant global changes, including colonization and the spread of Western influence, while Zheng He’s earlier and more extensive expeditions did not yield lasting impact. Zheng He’s journeys, though impressive in scale, left minimal lasting influence due to China’s subsequent isolationist policies.

It is interesting to compare Admiral Zhèng Hé in China with Columbus in Genoa, Italy. Admiral Zhèng Hé began his expedition abroad in 1405, and Columbus began his expedition 87 years later, in 1492.

郑和 Admiral Zheng He

(1371 – 1433)

Ming admiral Zhèng Hé went on an expedition with 300 ships, but Columbus started his expedition with three ships. This is a 100-fold difference in the size of the fleet. Admiral Zhèng Hé had 27,000 sailors, and Columbus had 90 sailors. In terms of crew size, there is a 300-fold difference. Admiral Zhèng Hé took a large ship of 2,000 tons, 120 meters long, and Columbus ventured aboard the 19-meter-long Santa Maria. In terms of size, the fleet of Admiral Zhèng Hé overwhelms Columbus’ fleet. It is about the difference between a large company and a venture company.

Nevertheless, Columbus changed the course of history by discovering the New World, but Admiral Zhèng Hé did not have much influence on the history of the country, even though he reached Madagascar in Africa through seven expeditions over nearly 30 years. Why was there such a difference?

The main reason is that Columbus went out to the open sea, and Admiral Zhèng Hé sailed along the coastline. Columbus crossed the ocean with the intention of discovering new sea routes to India, China, and Japan, but Admiral Zhèng Hé sailed safely along the coastline just to make the neighboring country a tributary state.

For this reason, Columbus discovered the New World of America, but Admiral Zhèng Hé  did not make any great discoveries. Then, why didn’t Admiral Zhèng Hé  think of going out to sea?

The two had different ways of understanding space. Both of them launched their boats off the coastline. However, Admiral Zhèng Hé thought that the coastline was the end of the earth, and Columbus thought that the coastline was the beginning of a new sea.

Then, why didn’t Admiral Zhèng Hé see the coastline as a new beginning? He thought he was the center of the world. Columbus, on the other hand, thought he was on the outskirts. In the past, humans thought that the earth was the center of the universe. When the entire universe was thought to revolve around the earth, there was no scientific development. However, when people began to recognize that the sun was the center and the earth was a planet that revolved around the sun, mankind was able to achieve a scientific civilization.

As the name China suggests, China thinks of itself as the center. In such a state, distant things are not important. So I didn’t think about exploring far away. China has already experienced many merchants from Europe coming to buy goods. However, he did not think about sailing east and going to Europe himself. This is because he thought he was the center.

Of course, even if they had sailed east, it would have been difficult to cross the Pacific Ocean and discover the Americas because the width of the Pacific Ocean is five times the width of the Atlantic Ocean. But the important thing is that they didn’t even try to do that. On the other hand, a young man from Genoa, Italy, who thought he was on the outskirts, sailed west and discovered the New World.

There is a big geographical reason why he thought China was his center. According to Tim Marshall, author of “The Power of Geography,” China had a round coastline and had the same distance from the Central Plains, so whoever occupied the Central Plains was able to control the coastline. As a result, the idea that he was the center of the world must have taken strong holdings. Europe is bordered by the African continent across the narrow Mediterranean Sea, so I experienced that there was a huge continent across the sea.

Then, among so many Europeans, why did Columbus discover the New World? We need to think about his profession.

Columbus was an effective cartographer. Maps of Europe were created for use by ships sailing at sea. He always thought about the sea as well as the land. A person who makes a map is a person who understands space and pursues objective information that can confirm where he or she is. In other words, he was a person who was good at metacognition that could grasp the subject. Moreover, Columbus was a man of amazing willpower.

He was born in Genoa, Italy, but when there was no one in Italy to support his dream, he moved to Portugal, then a maritime power, in 1480. Unable to find a patron there, he moved to Spain five years later, in 1485. After seven years of toil in Spain, it was not until 1492 that he finally set sail with a patron and a minimum fee. After 12 years of hardship after leaving his hometown, he started his dream job.

Landing of Columbus, oil on canvas by John Vanderlyn, 1846; in the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.

An interesting fact is that a young man from Genoa, Italy, discovered the New World with the support of Spain. It is as if a Vietnamese came to Korea and established a venture company and created a company like Naver or Samsung Electronics. You can feel anew what a great empire Spain was.

What Columbus’ home country of Italy and Spain, which supported Columbus, have in common is that both countries are peninsulars. The Netherlands and England were also small countries that faced the sea rather than the center of the continent. Peninsulas and island nations that did not own large landmasses advanced to the sea. Korea is also located on the peninsula. North Korea is blocking it, so it is now more like an island country.

We should think about entering a wider space. The sea is good, and you can go north. In the 21st century, there is a larger space. There is outer space, and there is also internet space. Fortunately, we built a high-speed Internet network in the 90s and the semiconductor industry developed, so we have been doing well in the Internet space so far. Cyworld was created five years before Facebook, and the reason why people listened to music on MP3 players even before the iPod came out was because it quickly entered the Internet space.

However, it has now been overtaken by the United States, China, and Taiwan in many areas. The tariff war is also shrinking the territory of trade. The smaller the country, the more we have to plan to expand into a larger space. If we settle for the current space, the country and society will divide and eventually perish. Look at our current state.

Original Korean article published in Chosun Ilbo on May 2, 2025