Review: The Contest of the Century - Geoff Dyer

In the early fifteenth century, one of the most influential figures in the Chinese court was a eunuch named Zheng He. Zheng was a Muslim, born in what is now the Yunnan Province. Captured by an invading Chinese army, he was castrated and bought to the court, where he became the confidante of a prince named Yongle. The eldest son of the founder of the Ming dynasty, Yongle was passed over in the imperial succession, but took power anyway in a palace coup. Rising with him, Zheng He was placed in charge of the navy. Under his command, the Chinese became a dominant naval power, capable of controlling half of the world. Their battle ships were 400 foot long, four times the size of the largest Portugese boats, and were escorted by up to 100 smaller vessels carrying soldiers, goods to trade and gunpowder – up to 30,000 men in all. By contrast, Vasco de Gama’s expeditionary fleet was made up of five boats. Zheng’s expeditions travelled as far afield as Kenya, returning to present Yongle with a giraffe.

After Yongle’s death, the Chinese navy was mothballed, or burned – partly because of the cost of maintaining such a vast fleet, partly because of jealousy over the increasing influence of eunuchs in the court (eunuchs were particularly associated with the navy, thanks to Zheng). Such vast flotillas would not be seen again anywhere in the world until the First World War. According to Geoff Dyer’s thoroughly researched account, the burning of Zheng He’s treasure fleet became a symbol of China’s ‘introspection and stagnation’, a Garbo-esque withdrawal from the international stage from which the country is only just emerging.

Forgotten for centuries, Zheng He’s legacy is being rehabilitated in China, with statues and museums dedicated in his honour. This revival is intended to send a pacifying message to the outside world. Zheng is seen as a hero of peaceful diplomacy and trade. His fleet was not an invasion force, and he adopted ‘the practice of giving more than he received’ in the countries he visited. As with so many of the examples Dyer finds though, the story is open to other interpretations. While Zheng may not have sailed to other lands with the intention of conquering, didn’t his huge armada carry an implicit threat? At the same time as he was taking to the seas, China was acting like a colonial superpower in Vietnam – Zheng’s awe-inspiring trade missions may have been just another way of enforcing Chinese hegemony in Asia. The dilemma for China’s neighbours and competitors is the same today – that China wants to exert its power is not in doubt. We are just waiting to see how it will choose to do so.

Read my full review at Bookmunch