East Meets West (episode2) Treasure Fleet: The Epic Voyage of Zheng He
Documentary series: East Meets West
(Episode 2) Treasure Fleet: The Epic Voyage of Zheng He
with National Geographic's Michael Yamashita
A Farland Chang docuseries
For the National Geographic Channel, this acclaimed film is one of its most visually stunning, culturally fascinating and historically dramatic programs ever. For one of Nat Geo's legendary photographers, Michael Yamashita, this is the first of his two globally acclaimed documentaries. And through these films, like never before, viewers can travel back centuries in time, as Nat Geo's intrepid photojournalist retraces the epic journeys of two of the world's greatest explorers: Italy's Marco Polo from the west and China's Zheng He from the east.
These award-winning programs are the inspiration for the upcoming documentary series, East Meets West, by Farland Chang, and based on the lifetime of work by Michael Yamashita. And the intriguing mysteries of Marco Polo and Zheng He will kick off the first two episodes in the series.
Summary1
This is the epic story of one of the world's greatest explorers whose name you probably never heard: Zheng He. 600 years ago, this Chinese Admiral commanded the largest fleet of ships the world had ever seen. And his rise and fall is the cautionary tale of what historians say is one of worst foreign policy decisions ever.
Follow Michael Yamashita, Nat Geo's own intrepid explorer, as he retraces the epic journey of Zheng He, the admiral who ruled the seas before the legendary explorations of Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama & Ferdinand Magellan. Zheng He sailed from Ming-dynasty China, and in 28 years, made seven voyages visiting 30 countries. With his fleet of hundreds of junks, he traveled from Southeast Asia to Africa, from India to the Middle East, gathering riches, scientific knowledge, fame & power for his emperor. He came close to conquering the world, until the Ming Dynasty's power shriveled and the explorer's accomplishments were all but forgotten.