Chinese treasure ship

A Chinese treasure ship (Chinese: 寶船/宝船; pinyin: bǎochuán) was a type of large wooden ship in the fleet of admiral Zheng He, who led seven voyages during the early 15th-century Ming Dynasty. Scholars disagree about the factual accuracy and correct interpretation of accounts of the treasure ships.

The purported dimensions of the largest of these ships at 137 m (450 ft) long and 55 m (180 ft) wide would make these ships at least twice as long as the largest European ships at the end of the sixteenth century. The British scientist, historian and sinologist Joseph Needham stated in his research work Science and Civilisation in China that the ships were between 400 feet to 600 feet in length — greater than the Greek Tessarakonteres of 3rd century BC, which was reported to be as long as 128 m (425 ft). These dimensions have been challenged on engineering grounds and on the reliability of their sources; some have claimed they could not have been more than 61–76 m (200–250 feet) or that they could only have been used on special occasions in the relative safety of the lower Yangtze River. Although a claimed treasure ship rudder has been unearthed in Nanjing, its size is no larger than rudders known to have been used in sub 60 metre Jiangsu trading ships of the 1930s.

The modern understanding of the ships derives from empirical and theoretical knowledge of the technical limitations of wooden sailing ships, historical Chinese records and accounts from European travelers who visited China around this time. There is debate amongst scholars about how these records should be interpreted. Some accounts suggest that treasure ships may have first appeared as early as the Song dynasty (960–1279). The modern analysis of the shape and structure of these ships is based on the contemporary Tian Fei Jing (The Worship of the Celestial Spouse) and the Wubei Zhi (The Records of Armaments and Military Provisions).

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